Deadline: 18-Dec-23
The Swedish Forest Agency (SFA), in partnership with Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and The Eco-Innovation Foundation (EIF), has announced 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?
The programme is financed by the Swedish International Agency for Development Cooperation (Sida).
Forest landscapes are set to play an increasingly important role as they 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.
Objective
- LoCoFoRest will 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.
Programme Components
- Component 1 – Start-Up Meeting and Online Course
- After a regional or national start-up meeting, the training programme starts with four months online self-guided studies mixed with regular virtual short workshops. The start-up meeting mainly is an occasion to meet other participants and the program-team and effort will be given to the suggested Change Projects and if joint CPs between participants can be achieved.
- The objective of the subsequent online course is to ensure all participants to have an understanding about the key aspects of FLR. There are five modules in the course. The first one looks at the LoCoFoRest programme objectives, in relation to the UN Agenda 2030 and to current FLR commitments diversity and success or failure. Subsequent modules cover economic, social and ecological aspects of FLR and the links between them. A final module concerns the Change Project method. Most modules contain three to four activities, each activity designed to take less than one full working day (eight hours).
- However, the time needed for each activity can vary depending on the participant’s level of knowledge of the specific subject.
- Component 2 – Intensive Mid-Term Workshop
- The intensive mid-term workshop is in the heart of the of the training programme. The objective is to discuss how LoCoFoRest can be developed in your country/region, and how participants can make use of the LoCoFoRest CP method.
- Major components of the week will be field visits and interactive activities with coaches and fellow participants to finalize participants CP plans. Also, the Swedish forest sector narrative; the drivers for historic restoration of degraded forests and the development of policies and governance systems to balance the economic, social, and ecological values, will be covered shortly as a backdrop for the workshop. Presentations by experts are mixed with interactive exercises and discussions, as well as field excursions and visits to different actors in the forest sector.
- Component 3 – Coached Change Project
- The applicants are required to suggest a change project in their ITP application, which must be approved by the applicant’s organization(s). Applicants from different organizations can – and are encouraged to – suggest a joint project. Support to develop CP objectives and project-plans will be given in the start-up meeting and the mid-term workshop between participants, coaches and the programme team. After the workshop, during about four to six months, mentors will be in virtual contact to support and follow up implementation of the plan and to address emerging questions and challenges. The ITP may also provide a local contact in each country for general support.
- Component 4 – Regional/National Final Meeting for CP Reporting
- The finalized CP will be presented at a final regional/national meeting, which in most cases coincide with the start-up meeting of the consecutive course-round.
- Component 5 – Alumni Platform and Alumni Seminars
- After presenting their CP, the participants are welcome to join an international interactive online alumni platform.
Programme Period
- LoCoFoRest runs from 2021–2025. The programme has experienced some delay during the pandemic but is now running according to original intentions.
Target Group
- They 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.
- In English language programme rounds from Ethiopia, Lao PDR, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam.
- In French language programme rounds from Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Kongo (DRC), Senegal and Togo (see LoCoFoRest web-site in French).
Eligibility Criteria
- If you feel that you and your organization could benefit from this programme and you are a citizen of Ethiopia, Nepal, Thailand, Laos or Vietnam, you are most welcome to apply.
- The application should be made by the individual applicant but needs to be endorsed by the employer. Only applications using the attached application form signed for consent will be considered.
- They foresee motivated and active participants taking initiative for application, but it is of course possible for an active employing organization also to act motivating and to prioritize individuals to apply.
For more information, visit Swedish Forest Agency.