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Applied research

WeForest collaborates with universities and research institutes to strengthen our restoration approach through applied research.

Advancing knowledge on key themes is important to ensure the best outcomes for our projects and for the global ecosystem restoration movement.

WeForest focuses on key thematic areas for applied research development:

Biophysical Themes

Restoration science

Climate Change: Mitigation and Adaptation

Forest-Water Nexus

Protecting and Restoring Biodiversity

Social Science Themes

Forest Incentivising Sectors

Governance and Decision Making

Gender and Equality

Restoration and Livelihoods

We are always keen to hear about new opportunities for research collaboration. If your research focuses on our key themes we would be happy to hear from you. Please write to us at research@weforest.org

Research partners

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Global initiatives

WeForest is actively engaged in initiatives to strengthen the global restoration movement.

We work collaboratively as a member of the Global Partnership on Forest and Landscape Restoration (GPFLR), FAO’s The Economics of Ecosystem Restoration (TEER) initiative, The Global Restoration Observatory and Crowther Lab’s Restor initiative.

Latest research news

Research publications

Journal articles, books and book chapters, policy briefs and other publications authored by members of the WeForest team can be found on our Research Publications page. 

Go to Research Publications

Further reading

Forests are natural cooling systems

Pokorny, J., Brom, J., Cermak, J., Hesslerova, P., Huryna, H., Nadezhdina, N. and Rejskova, A. (2010). Solar energy dissipation and temperature control by water and plants. International Journal of Water 5(4):311–336.

Forests promote precipitation

Ellison, D., Futter, M.N. and Bishop, K. (2012). On the forest cover–water yield debate: from demand- to supply-side thinking. Global Change Biology 18:806–820.
Morris, C.E., Conen, F., Huffman, A.J., Phillips, V., Pöschl, U. and Sands, D.C. (2014). Bioprecipitation: a feedback cycle linking Earth history, ecosystem dynamics and land use through biological ice nucleators in the atmosphere. Global Change Biology 20:341–351.

Trees and forests generate airflow

Makarieva, A.M. and Gorshkov, V.G. (2007). Biotic pump of atmospheric moisture as driver of the hydrological cycle on land. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 11:1013-1033.
Sheil, D. and Murdiyarso, D. (2009). How Forests Attract Rain: An Examination of a New Hypothesis. BioScience 59(4):341-347.

Trees and forests improve groundwater recharge

Bargués Tobella, A., Reese, H., Almaw, A., Bayala, J., Malmer, A., Laudon, H. and Ilstedt, U. (2014). The effect of trees on preferential flow and soil infiltrability in an agroforestry parkland in semiarid Burkina Faso. Water Resources Research 50:3342–3354.
Ilstedt, U., Bargués Tobella, A., Bazié, H.R., Bayala, J., Verbeeten, E., Nyberg, G., Sanou, J., Benegas, L., Murdiyarso, D., Laudon, H., Sheil, D. and Malmer, A. (2016). Intermediate tree cover can maximize groundwater recharge in the seasonally dry tropics. Sci Rep 6, 21930.
Ilstedt U., Malmer A, Verbeeten, E. and Murdiyarso D. (2007). The effect of afforestation on water infiltration in the tropics: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Forest Ecology and Management 251:45–51.

Forests moderate flooding

Ghimire, C.P., Bruijnzeel, L.A., Lubczynski, M.W. and Bonell, M. (2014). Negative trade-off between changes in vegetation water use and infiltration recovery after reforesting degraded pasture land in the Nepalese Lesser Himalaya. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 18:4933-4949.

Forest restoration

Chazdon, R.L. (2013). Making Tropical Succession and Landscape Reforestation Successful. Journal of Sustainable Forestry 32, 649–658.
International Sustainability Unit (2015). Tropical Forests: A Review. Princes Charities International Sustainability Unit.
Laestadius, L., Buckingham, K., Maginnis, S. & Saint-Laurent, C. (2015). Back to Bonn and beyond: A history of forest landscape restoration and an outlook for the future. Unasylva, 66, 245: 11-18
Locatelli, B., Catterall, C.P., Imbach, P., Kumar, C., Lasco, R., Marín-Spiotta, E., Mercer, B., Powers, J.S., Schwartz, N. and Uriarte, M. (2015). Tropical reforestation and climate change: beyond carbon. Restor Ecol 23, 337–343.

Forest and landscape restoration financing

Gutierrez, V., Keijzer, M-N. (2015). Funding forest landscape restoration using a business-centred approach: an NGO’s perspective. Unasylva 245 (66), pp. 99–106. PDF available at fao.org/2/i5212en.
FAO & Global Mechanism of the UNCCD (2015). Sustainable financing for forest and landscape restoration: opportunities, challenges and the way forward. Discussion paper, Rome. PDF available at www.fao.org/3/a-i5174e.pdf.