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UNESCO and GRÓ formalize cooperation on fostering ecosystem restoration in Africa
Every year, two young scientists from biosphere reserves in Africa will be invited to participate in the six-month GRÓ Land Restoration Training Programme in Iceland. This agreement formalizes a partnership that got under way in 2021, when the first two beneficiaries, Leonard Gondwe and Peace Amarachi Ukoha, were announced. Since then, four fellows from biosphere reserves in Nigeria and Malawi have completed their training under this programme.
The partnership agreement was signed on 16 November at UNESCO headquarters by Nína Björk Jónsdóttir, Director-General of the International Centre for Capacity Development – Sustainable use of Natural Resources and Societal Change (GRÓ), and by Lidia Brito, Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences at UNESCO.
Next year, the third cohort from biosphere reserves in Ghana and Nigeria will travel to Iceland to take part in the intensive six-month training programme, which runs each year from March to August.
The postgraduate programme has been tailored to professionals in partner countries faced with severe land degradation. The course equips them to apply their newly acquired knowledge and skills in ecological restoration and the sustainable management of ecosystems in their home countries. Graduates are equipped to train others as well, thereby extending the programme’s impact.
Each year, UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme designates new biosphere reserves. There are currently93 biosphere reserves in 33 African countries and, at the global level, 748 biosphere reserves in 134 countries.
GRÓ operates under the auspices of UNESCO. The Land Restoration Training Programme is one of four training programmes run by GRÓ, alongside training programmes in sustainable fisheries, gender equality and geothermal energy.
The first four graduates from biosphere reserve had this to say about the Land Restoration Training Programme:
“Participating in the GRÓ Land Restoration Training within the Man and Biosphere programme did not only improve my proficiency in environmental stewardship but also fosters a deep comprehension of sustainable land management. The hands-on experiences I gained through this training are stepping stones towards a career enriched with the knowledge to sustainably restore our ecosytems”.
Peace Amarachi Ukoha (2022 GRÓ Land Restoration Training Programme Fellow from Nigeria)
“The GRÓ/LRT fellowship training provided me with scientific and nature-based approaches to restoring degraded terrestrial ecosystems. The training also emphasized the integration of ecological, socio-economic and cultural perspectives when implementing land restoration projects which is crucial in managing biosphere reserves. Through the field excursions in Iceland, I gained practical knowledge and skills which apply to restoring degraded ecosystems in the Mulanje Mountain Biosphere Reserve, located in the south-western part of Malawi. As an alumnus of the programme, I was recently awarded a full scholarship for my ongoing Masters in Restoration Ecology at the Agricultural University of Iceland, and my goal is to gain a deeper understanding and practical skills in ecological restoration in addressing the key environmental issues affecting ecosystems in Malawi.
Leonard Gondwe (2022 GRÓ Land Restoration Training Programme Fellow from from Malawi)
“Being a part of the GRÓ/LRT programme this year was such an enlightening experience. The trainings and field trips were informative and inclusive, because we got hands-on experience and got to apply these insights to come up with solutions that can benefit our environment, particularly the biosphere reserves. I learned to pay attention to ethical and gender considerations in our future SLM projects and activities. I have been truly impacted by the programme.”
Esther O. David (GRÓ/LRT Fellow 2023 from Nigeria)
“The GRÓ/LRT programme is a necessary requirement in pursuit of addressing environmental challenges for global biodiversity sustainability. I'm one of its alumni and every bit of the programme is educative, practically designed and enjoyable. The collaboration between UNESCO -MAB and the GRO LRT on ecological restoration and sustainable land management will project a perfect change for future generations where the mindset of professionals would be built to bring about the desired change for nature conservation and sustainability. Personally, after the six months training at the land restoration programme in Iceland, I've been transformed through theoretical and practical learning process to restore degraded lands, champion sustainable land management process in Omo Biosphere Reserve and Nigeria at large. I feel fulfilled and professionally impacted after undergoing the training. As a manager in one of the UNESCO sites in Nigeria, the synergy between UNESCO and GRO LRT is already changing the narrative for a collective pursuit to addressing global environmental challenges. Keep the synergy running!”
Clifford Omonu (2023 GRÓ Land Restoration Training Programme Fellow from from Nigeria)
