IMFN Climate: Scaling-Up Nature-Based Leadership Platforms. Year 2 at a Glance
With the growing momentum and recognition that global forests have a key role to play in addressing the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, the International Model Forest Network is well established and very well positioned to enable local leadership in achieving global commitments on forests and advancing relevant international partnerships.
The IMFN Climate initiative is a $18.7M investment from the Government of Canada, sourced from Canada’s global climate finance commitment, designed to scale up forest and landscape restoration, enable inclusive landscape governance and equip the next generation of forest leaders to address the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.
In Year 2, the ten (10) projects launched during the last quarter of fiscal year 2023/24 and are already showing promising results. During these first three months, over eight hundred (800) people were trained, 59% of whom were women or girls. These individuals have improved their knowledge and increased their capacities to develop and implement nature-based climate solutions that also benefit biodiversity.
Forty-seven (47) scholarships, bursaries and awards were awarded to the next generation of forest leaders, 55% of whom were women. This year’s investment allowed young leaders to pursue master’s or doctorate degree studies in fields related to forest and landscape restoration, climate change and sustainable forest management. Separately, the next generation of forest leaders were also supported to carry out research projects in Model Forest sites, or to scale up their youth-led sustainable forest management (SFM) projects. These leaders and decision makers in the making have the potential to positively impact their communities, landscapes, and global narratives for climate action.
Two hundred and forty-four (244) hectares of land were established under the process of forest and landscape restoration during these three months. These concrete restoration actions on the ground were made possible thanks to the participation of local organizations and communities in three Model Forest sites in Colombia and Morocco.
The list of achievements for this year is longer, as demonstrated in the full report. Strong, established local Model Forest partners, regional Model Forest Network Secretariats and regional and global partners of the IMFN have been able to respond to local, regional and global calls to action.
IMFN Climate is part of the Government of Canada's commitment to act on climate change, its responsibility to meet the Sustainable Development Goals and the landscape restoration initiatives of the Bonn Challenge, the 20x20 initiative, the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, and to support nature-based solutions in developing countries.