Participate in the “Locally Controlled Forest restoration” programme

The LoCoFoRest (Locally Controlled Forest Restoration) training programme focuses on one critical question: How can we scale up restoration of forest landscapes while securing the prosperity of local communities and maintaining and improving ecosystem services? Forest landscapes are set to play an increasingly important role as we transition from a world reliant on fossil-fuel to a circular bioeconomy. Well-managed, natural forests are key for climate change adaptation and mitigation, water quality and water availability, as well as meeting the growing global demand for wood-based products.

Program objective

LoCoFoRest build capacity in national, regional and local institutions and organisations. The programme will give participants the skills and knowledge to enrich their organisations’ capacity to support local communities and entrepreneurs to make forest and landscape restoration scalable and to take advantage of new value chains and the growing demands of a biobased economy.

Target group

We are looking for participants from:

• National, regional and local government; civil society; private sector and academic organisations working with forest restoration, processing of forest products, management of forest ecosystem services and natural resources management such as water and biodiversity.
  Applicants are individuals working in these organisations and institutions, and require the approval of their employer.
• Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Lao PDR, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam.

Training programme components

The programme has five components, all based in your home country or neighbouring region:

• Start-up meeting and part-time online course
• Intensive mid-term workshop
• Mentored “Change Project” (CP)
• Final meeting presenting CPs (jointly with start-up meeting for next course round)
• Alumni platform and alumni seminars

Programme period

LoCoFoRest runs 2021–2025, with five course rounds in English and two in French. The current call is for the 3rd English course round, running from 1 March – 31 December.

Partners and Donor

The Swedish Forest Agency (SFA) is lead organiser in partnership with Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and The Eco-Innovation Foundation (EIF).

The programme is financed by the Swedish International Agency for Development Cooperation (Sida).