Info: The Research Project
Ecosystem restoration has become a global priority due to accelerating land degradation, biodiversity loss, and climate change. However, the ecological, social, and interconnected social-ecological impacts of restoration efforts remain insufficiently understood. The DFG research project A social-ecological systems approach to inform ecosystem restoration in rural Africa (2023-2028) aims to develop a comprehensive framework, approaching ecosystem restoration from a social-ecological systems perspective for understanding the mechanisms involved in generating different restoration outcomes.
Focusing on western Rwanda, a global restoration leader, it seeks to generate both place-based insights and transferable knowledge for restoration efforts worldwide. The research team consists of an interdisciplinary team and includes scientists from Leuphana (Institute for Social-Ecological Systems (SESI) and Institute of Ecology (IE)), the Universities of Göttingen and Kassel as well as the FU Berlin. The work is divided into eight interconnected sub-projects, organized into four clusters (see below). The research unit combines post-hoc assessments, participatory experiments, and future scenario planning to provide a holistic understanding of restoration dynamics. The findings shall advance restoration science and social-ecological research, directly benefitting restoration efforts in Rwanda, and offering global insights for improving restoration practices worldwide.
Retrieved from: https://ecosystemrestoration.net/subprojects/
One of the sub-projects (SP7), headed by Vicky Temperton from the Leuphana Institute of Ecology and Stefan Sieber (Leibniz-Zentrum für Agrarlandschaftsforschung (ZALF) e.V.), focuses on establishing a living lab to bridge science and practice in Rwanda’s restoration efforts. While past restoration has largely relied on Eucalyptus monocultures, new initiatives promote native tree species to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services. Using a transdisciplinary approach, SP7 collaborates with stakeholders to co-design, co-produce, and co-evaluate restoration solutions. Scientific experiments will be conducted in two governance models, allowing comparison of their impacts on biodiversity, resilience, and livelihoods.
The following article was originally written and published by Dr. William Apollinaire on the ecosystem restoration blog.
Photos: Dr. William Apollinaire.
After the Rwanda Restore project kick-off in Kigali in January 2024 and a restoration stakeholder conference held there from February 19–21, 2025, the SP7 research unit officially launched the Living Lab in Rutsiro District, western Rwanda, on February 25, 2025.
42 participants attended the workshops from academia, various governmental and non-governmental institutions as well as local communities. The workshops aimed to establish a Living Lab Roundtable and define two governance models for the Living Lab, along with its code of conduct and communication strategy. Further, the workshop discussed opportunities and challenges for the current, mid-term and long-term future of restoration in Rutsiro, using a Three Horizons Approach, for restoration strategic planning in Rutsiro.
Organized into small group discussions, participants defined the code of conduct, communication principles and strategy and the three horizons for the restoration in the area. At the end of the workshop, participants visited Living Lab sites in Gihango Sector. During the visit, the research team hiked through the hilly landscape to observe various land uses and assess the potential for restoration interventions. They were accompanied and guided by local field assistants and farmer group members, who provided valuable insights.
A community workshop was organized in two cells of the Gihango District: Teba and Shyembe. The field trip brought together representatives of farmers groups and cooperatives, carpenters, traditional healers, beekeepers, and farm owners of plots where the Living Lab sites sit.
Individual visits were also arranged to meet model farmers who have enhanced their nutrition by integrating food plants such as Chayote, Passion fruit, Avocado, Pineapple and Cucumber into agroforestry systems, particularly within their home gardens, for their consumption or the market. In some cases, farmers combine a variety of fruit plants and legumes within the same plot.
Retrieved from: https://ecosystemrestoration.net/sp7/.
The study selection and the social network analysis have been completed in 2024. The roundtable has now been set up, the ongoing process before the end of this year will cover the co-design of field trials, definition of impact areas, delineation and registration of demonstration sites, including the signing of sustainability agreement with farm owners within the Living Lab sites. Further, the roundtable of stakeholders will soon develop the indicators of success.
You can find out more about the research project and the sub-projects here: https://ecosystemrestoration.net/subprojects/
