Just a year after the Desa’a project in Ethiopia was awarded, we are proud to announce that our Katanino project in Zambia has also been verified.
This milestone carries special significance for WeForest. Back in 2021, when Preferred by Nature was piloting what was called the Forest Ecosystem Restoration (FER) Verification, WeForest was among the first to participate, with both Katanino and Luanshya (now Copperbelt) serving as pilots. Four years later, the standard has evolved into the Preferred by Nature Ecosystem Restoration Standard, which now focuses on the environment while also integrating the social and economic dimensions of restoration.
A project with deep roots
The Katanino Forest Reserve, a Joint Forest Management Area (JFMA) in Zambia’s Copperbelt Province, covers 4,380 hectares of Miombo Woodlands. Since 2019, the project has been working to combat deforestation caused by illegal encroachment, charcoal production, timber extraction, and agricultural expansion. Restoration techniques include Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) and enrichment planting with seedlings sourced from local nurseries. The project is co-managed by state agencies and local communities, ensuring shared responsibility and benefits.
After completing its implementation phase in 2024, the project entered the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) phase in 2025, focusing on tracking progress, measuring impact, and informing future decisions. In March 2025, Preferred by Nature auditors reviewed the project against the Ecosystem Restoration Standard v3.1, confirming that the required processes are in place for Katanino.
The verification process
The Prefrred by Nature Ecosystem Restoration standard verification is a rigorous, multi-step process. It begins with extensive documentation to demonstrate all aspects of a project—planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation—against a comprehensive set of indicators. This is followed by a field visit, typically lasting a week, where auditors observe restoration in practice, visit nurseries and planting sites, and speak directly with stakeholders, including community members.
In Katanino, auditors visited six locations across the project area, including permanent monitoring plots, natural regeneration sites, native forest reference areas, and community-managed zones. Interviews with community members, leaders, and project staff provided additional insights into how restoration activities align with local needs and realities.
Key lessons from the audit
As with all Preferred by Nature audits, verification also highlighted areas for improvement:
Monitoring: Stronger protocols for permanent monitoring plots (PMPs), supported by well-organized data and analysis, are essential to credibly demonstrate impact.
Restoration plans: Auditors emphasized the need for clear, standalone documents that map intervention zones, distinguishing areas for conservation, restoration, and other uses.
Dispute resolution mechanisms: Communities were not always fully aware of how to use conflict-resolution systems. Better communication and documentation are needed.
Agrochemical use: While WeForest avoids agrochemicals where possible, some farmers prefer them. Auditors recommended more farmer education on risks, alternatives, safe handling, protective equipment, and safe disposal.
These insights are valuable not only for Katanino but for all WeForest projects as we continue to refine best practices.
Why this matters
Globally, only a limited number of restoration projects have achieved the Ecosystem Restoration standard verification, reflecting the rigorous standards and the high level of commitment required. That Katanino joins this small but growing group demonstrates both credibility and leadership in Forest and Landscape Restoration (FLR).
As Fainess Lumbwe, Country Director for Zambia, explains:
“Verification by Preferred by Nature gives credence to what we are doing on the ground as we strive to implement best practices in forest landscape restoration. The Preferred by Nature Ecosystem Restoration standard is a rigorous standard and for the Katanino Project to be able to tick the boxes against the Indicators is so gratifying and just underscores the strength of the principles we follow in FLR as WeForest”.
Community leaders also recognize the importance of this achievement.
“We are grateful for what we learnt from the visitor. This has brought real benefits to us as farmers and contributes to secure a better future for the generations to come. We are very happy as a community that the project is verified, offering different opportunities that support our community in many ways and allow us to benefit from more than one source of progress.’—Justine Musipili, CA Lead Farmers and Chiefs Representative
“The Katanino project is an excellent example of the need to work from the ground up to achieve positive results. This project, which has an extensive governance structure within the Katanino Joint Forest Management Area, has demonstrated alignment with the restoration objectives. In an area where logging for charcoal production is a significant pressure, the belief of the communities that the Katanino forest must remain a source of “health” for them is fundamental.”—Hernán Zaldivar Schrader, lead auditor, Preferred by Nature
Looking ahead
The Katanino verification is more than a certificate, it is an endorsement of a community-driven approach to restoring forests at scale. With the monitoring phase now underway, the project will continue to demonstrate measurable impacts for climate, biodiversity, and local livelihoods, while serving as a model for FLR restoration.
