March 6, 2017 - March 9, 2017

African Landscapes Dialogue: Integrated Landscape Management in Practice

Horn of Africa Regional Environment Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The African Landscapes Action Plan, Phase 2, is now available

Thanks to all those working to achieve sustainable development, food security and climate resilience in Africa who joined us for this powerful multi-day learning and sharing event.

The African Landscapes Dialogue was a major success, with an overflow crowd of more than 140 leaders working across Africa and around the world putting their heads together for three days of intense collaboration to improve the practice of integrated landscape management.

Read the Outcome Summary of the Dialogue. Stay tuned for an update of the African Landscapes Action Plan based on the Dialogue outcomes, coming in May.

Take a look back at the event as it was shared on social media.

Posters and Presentations

View all the excellent material shared by our participants on the Landscapes for People, Food and Nature Initiative Slideshare.

Stories

Highlights from the African Landscapes Dialogue (Video)

Landscape leaders call for linking practice to policy

The opening of the African Landscapes Dialogue highlights the importance of achieving long term sustainability

ALD is a Tremendous Gathering of Talent, Ambition and Genuine Care: Minister Gemedo Dale

See all African Landscapes Dialogue stories on the Blog for People, Food and Nature.

About

Leaders from community and farmer organizations, local governments, food and agri-businesses, NGOs and other stakeholders across Africa are working together through integrated landscape management to achieve multiple goals from their land and resources. They take different entry points and use different names, including forest landscape restoration, model forests, sustainable land and water management, and agriculture green growth corridors, to name just a few.

The African Landscapes Dialogue gathered these diverse communities of practice in sustainable landscapes at the beautiful campus of HOAREC&N in Ethiopia to learn together through:

  • Sharing best practices from their own landscapes
  • Sharing lessons learned from research and experiences across landscapes and countries
  • Exchanging tools and resources
  • Developing collaborative actions
  • Facilitated cross-sectoral conversation
  • Study tours of landscapes in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia

The conference was hosted by the Horn of Africa Regional Environment Center & Network (HOAREC&N) at their meetingplace in the Gullele Botanic Garden in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Organizing partners include HOAREC&N, the African Model Forest Network, EcoAgriculture Partners, NEPAD/TerrAfrica, Solidaridad Network, the Water and Land Resources Center (WLRC) and the World Resources Institute.

Supporting partners include EcoAgriculture Partners, the Global Environment Facility, IUCN, the Netherlands Ministry for Economic Affairs, SwedBio, Solidaridad Network, and the World Resources Institute.

March 6

12:30

Check-in Opens

Welcome

Opening remarks and welcome plenary

Setting the stage: An overview of Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) in Africa

Afternoon

Group Discussions - Success Stories from Across Africa

Facilitated discussions featuring dynamic storytelling and detailed examination of selected cases.

Evening

Reception

Landscape Management Share Fair

View posters from the share fair.

March 7

Morning

Plenary - The African Landscapes Action Plan

Highlights of achievements from 2014-2016, part 1:

  • Landscape Partnerships and  Governance
  • Business for Sustainable Landscapes Initiative
  • Financing investments for sustainable landscapes: insights, models and tools

Group Discussions - Moving the Landscape Agenda Forward

Discussion groups: Landscape partnerships and governance; Business engagement; Financing solutions

Afternoon

Stocktaking on Regional Initiatives - Where are we, and where do we have to go

Multiple groups will gather to each review one of the many regional initiatives for sustainable landscapes in Africa (e.g. AFR100, The Great Green Wall Initiative, etc.), visiting its successes and challenges, providing feedback and insight to move it forward, and exploring opportunities to get involved/connect.

Skills Session - A variety of skill-building workshops to improve landscape management on the ground

Landscape Management Share Fair

View posters from the share fair.

March 8

Morning

Plenary - The African Landscapes Action Plan

Highlights of achievements from 2014-2016, part 2:

  • Landscape Academy
  • National Landscape Learning Exchanges
  • Policy support for ILM
  • Research/Building the Evidence

Discussion Groups - Implementation Issues

Facilitated intensive discussion on challenges for implementing integrated landscape management.

Afternoon

Skills Session - A variety of skill-building workshops to improve landscape management on the ground

Discussion Groups - National Knowledge Exchanges

Facilitated discussion with participants from the same country or region about particular national or regional challenges.

Policymaker Panel

A panel discussion among national and local policymakers on the barriers to and opportunities for creating enabling policies for integrated landscape management, on the question “How does cross-sectoral integration work in practice?”

March 9

Morning

Tools Bazaar

A showcase for innovative hands-on tools or methodologies used in integrated landscape management. Participants learn directly from each other about tools they have developed or used.

Tool presentations will be maximum 30 minutes each. All participants will have the opportunity to select which tool presentation to attend, so please write a compelling description of your tool including its audience and purpose. 

Plenary - What we learned and where we go from here

Digesting the outcomes from group discussions, the “wall of ideas,” and more.

Lunch

Farewell and closing over a shared meal

The best way to solidify commitments to action with new friends and colleagues.

 

March 10-11

Field Visit

Central Rift Valley - Sign up required, participation is limited

The learning journey included stops at the following locales in the Central Rift Valley:

  • Sher flower farm and its artificial wetland system
  • Shore of Lake Abyata
  • Castel winery
  • Soil and More composting site
  • SEDA closure area at Kamo Gerbi Kebele

Lake Shalla in Ethiopia - Lanzen