Decision support tools for forest landscape restoration: Current status and future outlook

Abstract

Contents 1 Introduction 1 1.1 The challenge of forest landscape restoration 1 1.2 What are decision support tools? 4 1.3 Guiding principles of FLR 5 1.4 Why decision support tools are needed to guide the FLR process 5 1.5 Scope and organization of this report 7 2 Tools for preparation and assessment 9 2.1 A diagnostic tool for identifying readiness for FLR 9 2.2 A tool for assessing restoration needs and ecosystem conditions 10 2.3 A tool for mapping, monitoring and planning at the landscape scale 12 2.4 A tool for assessing FLR opportunities and approaches at national or sub-national levels 12 2.5 Tools for seeking financing for FLR 18 2.6 Tools for engaging stakeholders in the FLR process 19 2.7 Concluding remarks 20 3 Tools to evaluate potential restoration outcomes 21 3.1 Tools and models for assessing and mapping ecosystem service supply 21 3.2 Tools for modeling synergies and trade-offs between ecosystem services 24 3.3 Tools for incorporating biodiversity into systematic restoration planning 26 3.4 Assessing and mapping restoration costs and cost-effectiveness 28 3.5 Concluding remarks 30 4 Tools for prioritization, spatial planning and species selection 31 4.1 Systematic restoration planning 31 4.2 Spatial prioritization tools and their application to restoration 32 4.3 Spatial tools for prioritizing areas for specific restoration interventions 40 4.4 Spatial tools for selecting appropriate species for agroforestry and restoration 40 4.5 Concluding remarks 43 5 Conclusion: Synthesis and outlook 44 5.1 Tools for what and for whom? 44 5.2 The power of visualization 44 5.3 Theory of change for FLR 46 5.4 New frontiers for decision support tools for FLR 46 5.5 Challenges to operationalizing FLR 49