The LoCoFoRest (Locally Controlled Forest Restoration) Training Programme 2024

The LoCoFoRest (Locally Controlled Forest Restoration) training programme 2024 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? Find out more about LoCoFoRest and learn how you can participate in the programme.

Forest landscapes are set to play an increasingly important role as we 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.

Our 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.

Target group

We 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).

Training programme components

The programme has five components, all based in your home country or neighbouring region:

• Start-up meeting and part-time online course
• Intensive mid-term workshop
• Mentored “Change Project” (CP)
• Final meeting presenting CPs (jointly with start-up meeting for next course round)
• Alumni platform and alumni seminars

Programme period

LoCoFoRest runs from 2021–2025. The programme has experienced some delay during the pandemic but is now running according to original intentions.

Partners and Donor

The Swedish Forest Agency (SFA) is lead organiser in partnership with Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and The Eco-Innovation Foundation (EIF). The programme is financed by the Swedish International Agency for Development Cooperation (Sida).

Who can participate?

We are looking for a broad mix of participants: men, woman, government officers, civil society members, private sector stakeholders, academic researchers, teachers etc, from a variety of sectors/interest groups, e.g. forest and water, climate and environment.

Above all, participants should be dedicated to forest and landscape restoration, and sustainable rural development.

We believe you will have a minimum of three to five years’ professional experience related to landscape restoration or other aspects on rural development, but still have at least a decade or two to give in professional activity. Ideally you will have an academic qualification, however we will consider people with relevant and extensive practical experience.

The LoCoFoRest (Locally Controlled Forest Restoration) Training Programme 2024 Eligibility

The English language programme rounds are open to nationals of Vietnam, Lao PDR, Thailand, Nepal and Ethiopia. In 2023 a call for a programme round in French language have been open for nationals of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Togo, Burkina Faso and Senegal.

In general, the programme only accepts nationals employed (or engaged) with an organisation based in their country, or nationals working in relevant programmes with a multilateral organisation active in their country (non-UN).

Individual training with organisational benefit

The application is made by the individual, but approval is required from the applicant’s organisation. The organisation must agree that the applicant will be paid for their participation in the training (estimated to be 20% of a fulltime position for one year of training) which must be signed by the nominating organisation in the application form.

The application should also contain an idea for a Change Project, which should be approved by the individual’s organisation. It could be an individual task, such as analysing challenges for a relevant LoCoFoRest development and providing suggestions on how to improve routines. Or it could be a collaborative task, for people from more than one organisation, addressing potential joint activities.

Language requirements

The following criteria must be met by all participants in the training:

• Good English language skills for courses delivered in English (given 2021–2025).
• Good French language skills for courses delivered in French (given 2023–2024).

The LoCoFoRest (Locally Controlled Forest Restoration) Training Programme 2024 Selection of participants

Merits for applicants are role in a relevant organisation as well as a relevant idea for a change project. We are looking for well-motivated applicants with experience, who have many years of professional activity in front of them. Proposing a joint change project in cooperation with another applicant from another organisation can also be of merit.

Aside from considering individual merits, we will select the 25 participants to each course to ensure there is a mix of men and woman, as well as different kinds of stakeholders in the forest landscape and different actors along the value chain preferably for each of the countries

After the training

Participants will receive a certificate when they have successfully completed the programme components up to the completion of the Change Project.

Approved participants will be invited to an alumni network supported by the training programme. We plan to include successful alumni as supervisors and mentors in later course rounds.