The workshop, Carbon benefits of forest and landscape restoration and contribution to Nationally Determined Contributions, will take place from 16 to 20 May 2022 in Montpellier, France. 

As part of the project "The Paris Agreement in Action: upscaling forest and landscape restoration to achieve NDCs" funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry of environment, nature conservation and nuclear safety (BMU), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Groupement d'Intérêt Public (GIP) ECOFOR, is organizing a regional training to build capacity of Mediterranean countries to restore degraded forest landscapes. 

There is an urgent need for action to halt land degradation and restore degraded forests in the Mediterranean. Many national, regional and global goals for forest and landscape restoration (FLR) try to both conserve the main cultural landscapes, and restore the most degraded or threatened ecosystems. In view of these global and regional goals and ambitious new national commitments, it is important to identify and properly implement low-cost, long-term strategies for landscape restoration. Such strategies help produce many ecosystem services, including carbon storage. 

FLR can have an important role in reducing carbon, as forest landscapes provide a “carbon sink” that absorbs a net 7.6 billion metric tons of CO2 per year. 

It is now recognized that the restoration of degraded or deforested lands can significantly increase carbon levels in the soil and in rehabilitated vegetation. The fact that these carbon gains stem from tangible economic benefits and improved livelihoods for communities, makes FLR attractive to local populations and makes it an effective way to sequester carbon and help slow the effects of climate change.  

In some countries the national carbon sequestration potential has been calculated. The national FLR assessment includes an estimate of the amount of carbon that could be captured through the restoration of degraded and deforested lands identified as available and suitable for restoration.  

The main objective of the workshop is to build capacity related to the restoration of degraded Mediterranean forest landscapes, focusing on topics such as the carbon cost and benefits of FLR and the contribution of FLR to Nationally determined contributions (NDCs). 

The workshop will also be an opportunity to share experiences and expertise, thus contributing to regional dynamics and knowledge sharing.