💡 Learning Events and Resources You Don't Want to Miss🧠

[RChazdon]

Bringing back ecosystems through natural regeneration: three different examples from three continents

Mar 24, 2026 07:30 AM in Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Description

This webinar will feature three presentations exploring how natural regeneration can drive effective, large-scale ecological restoration when ecological processes are properly understood and supported.

In northeast Tasmania, the North East Bioregional Network will demonstrate that many degraded landscapes retain greater ecological resilience than commonly assumed. Rather than defaulting to planting, their projects emphasize assessing site resilience and activating natural regeneration. Two examples include Restore Skyline Tier, which is converting non-native Radiata Pine plantations back to biodiverse native forest at a landscape scale, and a roadside restoration initiative. Both show that minimal planting can succeed when natural recovery processes are supported.

The second presentation focuses on measuring regeneration success in Amazonian forests by operationalizing “ecological integrity.” Instead of relying solely on forest age or canopy cover, success is evaluated through recovery of structure, biodiversity, and ecosystem functioning within an appropriate landscape context. A benchmark framework compares field data from secondary forests against reference trajectories and minimum thresholds derived from large plot datasets, providing measurable standards for assessing progress.

The third presentation highlights long-term work at the Cosumnes River Preserve by The Nature Conservancy. By breaching levees and restoring natural hydrology, practitioners facilitated regeneration on a Mediterranean floodplain. Findings show early successional stages are valuable, floodplain connectivity supports both fish and plant recovery, non-woody species contribute significantly to biodiversity, and periodic flooding suppresses invasive species. Sites with more frequent flooding maintained higher native plant diversity, underscoring the central role of natural hydrological processes in restoration success.

To register:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/9117725242302/WN_0W3QRX66TVGW98vWo9S9vg?utm_source=Society+for+Ecological+Restoration&utm_campaign=72f06cb907-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_02_26_12_27&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-72f06cb907-21969545#/registration

[MonicaHarris]

Thanks for sharing, Robin!

[HelenMorris]

Thanks so much for keeping us in the loop, Robin! This webinar sounds like it will be a valuable learning opportunity for anyone interested in natural regeneration, freshwater restoration, or Assisted Natural Regeneration, or for anyone working in Amazonian countries (@gabriela.moreira @brunatrindade @Gabriella.Madua @Gabriel_J_UNDP I’m looking at you ).

P.S. - For those of you interested in Assisted Natural Regeneration or freshwater restoration, keep an eye on your inboxes - the ERIP Communities of Practice on Assisted Natural Regeneration and Freshwater Restoration will be launching soon!

[ERIP_GCP]

Know of an interesting upcoming webinar, training, or other learning opportunity? Share it here and help grow our restoration community’s knowledge

[HelenMorris]

Interested in water, wildlife, or community resilience? Check out this webinar hosted by another GEF Integrated Program, the Global Wildlife Program, on March 5 from 15:00-16:00 CET!

Description: “This webinar focuses on two Sahelian projects implemented in Chad and Mali, where conservation efforts must respond to fragile ecosystems, climate pressures, and complex social and security challenges. Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and supported by the World Bank and UNDP as GEF agencies, these two projects - Chad’s GEF -7 Local Development and Climate Change Adaptation Project centered on the Ouadi Rimé–Ouadi Achim (OROA) Faunal Reserve, and Mali’s GEF-6 Elephant Conservation Project operating in the Gourma Biosphere Reserve, offer complementary lessons on integrating protected area management, community-based natural resource management (CBNRM), and climate resilience-building in conflict-affected setting. These projects demonstrate how partnerships with government institutions, local communities, and conservation organizations strengthen enforcement, empower stewardship, and sustain livelihoods.

Join us to learn from both countries through concrete examples, practical results and lessons on adaptive enforcement, community stewardship, climate-resilient livelihoods, and the use of technology to improve monitoring and management. Participants will gain insights that can inform replication and scale-up across the Sahel and other fragile and conflict-affected contexts.”

Link to register here

[HelenMorris]

Happening TOMORROW! Making Smallholder-Led Landscape Restoration Work at Scale from the World Bank’s Ecological Civilization Dialogue Series

Join a dynamic event about the cross-sectoral conditions needed generate lasting, large-scale impact from restoration initiatives. The session will explore real-world examples from China and Kenya, uncovering the economic, institutional, and governance conditions that have driven success in ecological transitions on the ground.

Register here!

[HelenMorris]

Happening on August 5

Assisted Natural Regeneration in Latin America: Success stories, strategies, & Public Policy

Hosted by the Chilean Network for Ecological Restoration and the Assisted Natural Regeneration Alliance, this event promises:

• An overview of Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) - why, how, where, and when?
• Case studies on the challenges and potential of restoration and ANR in Chile
• An examination of ANR implementation as a national strategy in Brazil

Join the webinar from 19:00 - 21:00 UTC here