IUCN and IMFN highlight the contributions of Model Forests to local communities and global targets

Kemptville, Canada, May 2025 (IUCN) – This month, representatives from the IUCN Secretariat attended the International Model Forest Network (IMFN) Global Forum 2025 as part multiple ongoing collaborations between IUCN and IMFN. Staff from the IUCN Forest and Grasslands Team and the IUCN India Country Office participated in several events on topics ranging from integrated landscape management and ecosystem restoration to gender-responsive approaches and the human health benefits of forests.

Through two projects—made possible by financial support from the Government of Canada’s Global Forest Leadership Program and through the International Model Forest Network (IMFN) Secretariat's IMFN Climate initiative—IUCN and IMFN are currently working in partnership to support six Model Forests in Bolivia, Cameroon, China, India, and Thailand. Through these efforts, IUCN is providing technical backstopping to Balkhila, Chiquitano, Campo Ma’an, Dja et Mpomo, Lin’an, and Ngao Model Forests to advance forest landscape restoration (FLR), promote gender-forward approaches, facilitate knowledge exchange, and enhance the visibility of IMFN’s and these Model Forests’ successes.

From Commitment to Action: Operationalizing Integrated Landscape Approaches

Organized by the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF), this session was part of a full-day event titled “Forests, People, Planet: Scaling Local Solutions for Global Impact” which took place at the IMFN Global Forum. The session focused on turning commitments to integrated landscape approaches into action by addressing key operational challenges and showcasing successful implementation examples. The panel discussion explored how multi-sector integration can support climate and development goals, the role of adaptive learning in governance, and strategies for sustaining long-term engagement beyond individual projects.

Pragyan Raj Pokhrel, Senior Programme Officer on the IUCN Forest and Grasslands Team, stressed the importance of building strong relationships between scientific experts, practitioners, and local communities to ensure that restoration projects at the landscape level are not only effective at contributing to global goals, but are poised to create long term benefits for community members. To achieve this, he emphasized, sectors must strive to break silos and foster better collaboration, such as at the conservation-health nexus. He closed by underlining the need to ensure restoration is demand-responsive and adapted to local context, as is the case in Model Forests.

The full session recording is available online.

IMFN, UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and Local Contributions to 2030 Global Goals

This session aimed to demonstrate how Model Forests are already showing action beyond words towards achieving 2030 global targets. From the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework to the Paris Agreement, Model Forests are living examples of how local action can drive global progress. This session, which included representation from IUCN, FAO, Union for the Mediterranean, the UNFCCC Adaptation Committee, Chile, the Dominican Republic, and the Philippines to share perspectives on how the Model Forest concept is more relevant than ever as countries race to meet 2030 goals.

Paula Prist, Senior Programme Coordinator on the IUCN Forest and Grasslands Team, focused her intervention on how IUCN is driving progress under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, which runs from 2021 to 2030. For example, IUCN is leading the Science Task Force (STF), one of several Task Forces dedicated to supporting the UN Decade and World Restoration Flagships in halting the degradation of ecosystems and restoring them to achieve global goals. The STF provides an authoritative scientific reference for the UN Decade by producing evidence-based advice on terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystem restoration and addressing pertinent scientific questions that arise over the course of the UN Decade. Similarly, as a Global Partner under the UN Decade, IUCN is supporting the Ecosystem Restoration Hub, a digital platform where restoration implementers can showcase their efforts and contributions to global restoration goals and connect with others working in this space. Through these avenues, IUCN is also supporting Model Forests in ensuring they are effectively contributing to restoration goals and amplifying their successes through digital channels.

Gender, Equality, Empowerment and Voice in IMFN Projects and Processes

Despite their crucial contributions, women and girls continue to face systemic barriers in the forest sector, highlighting the need for inclusive policies that support their roles in forest conservation and sustainable management. This session explored how effective strategies and insights from Model Forests can ensure that gender equity is advanced, diverse perspectives are valued, and benefits are fairly distributed for all community members, regardless of gender. By focusing on how IMFN, its Model Forests, and partners like IUCN are putting gender policies into practice in global, regional, and local efforts, the discussion allowed panellists and the audience alike to share their experiences, including the unique challenges that women face in the forest sector and potential solutions for overcoming these barriers.

Katherine Poe, Programme Associate on the IUCN Forest and Grasslands Team, utilized her intervention during the panel discussion to underscore the critical importance of integrating gender-responsive approaches into forest management and landscape restoration activities. Starting with the governance process, community-managed forests must prioritize gender equity and parity to guarantee that women are actively included in decision-making processes and have equal access to natural resources and ecosystem benefits. To support this aim, IUCN has developed a gender-forward forest landscape restoration (FLR) incubation and acceleration protocol for use in community-managed forest landscapes. IUCN is currently collecting feedback on the protocol from Model Forests and community forest stakeholders.

Forest Therapy, Forest Bathing and Connections with Nature

Connection with nature provides significant benefits to human beings, from reduced stress to stronger immunity. This session—moderated by Archana Chatterjee, IUCN India Programme Manager representing the IUCN India Country Office and Balkhila Model Forest—explored the various regional approaches to the connections we make with nature. Including a variety of cultural, geographic, and professional perspectives, the panel included participants from Italy, Thailand, Brazil, Japan, India, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The discussion explored the benefits of forest walks, forest bathing, and forest therapy, which represent different facets of the same concept, highlighting the importance of the human relationship with forest environments. As discussed by the panel, these benefits are scientifically proven to enhance human health and, within an ecosystem services framework, can also support the sustainable development of communities and rural areas. Moreover, many communities practice nature worship and have a spiritual connection with forests, which highlights the importance of forest temples as means for health and happiness. Model Forests, of which there are more than 60 across over 30 countries, provide myriad opportunities for local communities to take advantage of these benefits in their neighbouring forest landscapes.

For more information about IUCN’s participation at the IMFN Global Forum 2025, please contact Katherine Poe at [email protected].