Restoration, Land Tenure, Conflict, and Opportunities in Peacebuilding: 15 best practices for restoration

Abstract

The international conservation community is enabling political commitments by leveraging restoration as a high-potential and scalable strategy to mitigate climate change and protect biodiversity. Pervasive tenure insecurity and inadequate recognition of land tenure dimensions prevent these commitments from being translated into action and producing substantial ecological and human wellbeing impacts. This report briefs the audience on the state of restoration and the relationship between Indigenous peoples, local communities, and conservation. Next, this paper outlines the triple nexus of land tenure, conflict, and restoration by clarifying the social, ecological, and political dimensions of land systems. In addition to challenges, this paper finds opportunities for restoration programming to engage in contexts of tenure-related conflicts. This paper suggests 15 best practices for integrating tenure-responsive peacebuilding approaches throughout the conservation program cycle.