Guidelines for the Development of Upscaling Plans

Restoration is a joint activity among a wide range of stakeholders; hence, upscaling initiatives need a stakeholder engagement plan that identify relevant stakeholders important for implementing a large restoration project. Mansourian et al. (2017) identified a set of functions that stakeholders have in relation to restoration.

• Financing function to ensure resources for the project.
• Policy support function that identifies legal and governance options for restoration on national and international level.
• Design and planning function of restoration project.
• Advice function on technical and scientific issues. Implementation function for restoration actions.
• Monitoring and evaluation function. 

Who can fill these functions varies and we suggest six categories of stakeholders that are relevant to consider (Agüero et al. 2023).

• Forest landowners and in situ managers
• Policy makers and regulating actors
• Forest/landscape value chains & other economic actors
• Financing actors
• Civil society
• Education & Research. 

As well as recognizing the functions of different stakeholders it is also important to consider the restoration objectives or “constructs”, that different stakeholder groups may emphasize.

Mansourian (2018) topology of different objectives, “constructs”, for forest restoration

As different actors may emphasize different values and objectives, they may also disagree on how a restoration program should be set up. This can result in conflicts that need to be addressed (O’Brien et al. 2025). However, conflicts come in different forms and the categories identified by Young et al. (2010) is helpful for understanding underlying causes of conflict.

• Conflicts over beliefs and values, where differences exist over normative perceptions
• Conflicts of interest when groups want different things from the same resource
• Conflicts regarding process, relating to the different approaches to decision-making
• Conflicts over information relating to situations where data are lacking, misunderstood or perceived in different ways
• Interpersonal conflicts relating to personality differences between individuals or groups, including issues of communication and mistrust

Of these, the first two could be seen as “true conflicts” and good stakeholder engagement can make these explicit even when shared understanding/consensus among stakeholders is not possible. The last three can be addressed during stakeholder engagement and a successful engagement could resolve such conflicts.

As stakeholder engagement is needed during all parts of a larger restoration project, you need to identify the role of different stakeholders both for the planning of a larger restoration project, communication of developed plans as well as for the implementation of the project program (Agüero et al. 2023). outlines transformative stakeholder engagement including a set of principles as keystones for demo engagement strategies. These include co-creation, inclusivity, transparency, capacity building, conflict resolution and management, and evaluation. Similarly, Partners to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration highlights as a core principle that “Ecosystem restoration promotes inclusive and participatory governance, social fairness and equity from the start and throughout the process and outcomes” (FAO, SER & IUCN CEM. 2023). By carefully considering these principles you can identify how stakeholders can leverage support for and help addressing barriers to upscaling.

Ultimately, engaging people in restoration is to provide a story that highlight the needs and benefits of restoration. As a part of SUPERB we have developed approaches to mapping forest stories, understanding the context of forest restoration, and seeing how stories can help to deepen and broaden participation around restoration efforts. This includes a tool kit for effective stakeholder engagement and communication.