The GREEN Resilience Africa synthesis team recently gathered in Togo for its third in-person meeting, marking a milestone for ASCEND as the first Baobab synthesis team to hold an in-person meeting outside South Africa.
Hosted by Professor Kouami Kokou and colleagues from the University of Lome, alongside project partners in Togo, the meeting brought together researchers and practitioners from across Africa and Europe to strengthen collaboration, advance project outputs, and engage directly with forest landscape restoration (FLR) initiatives on the ground. The team spent five days visiting restoration sites across Togo’s Central and Kara regions while working on the project’s remaining research outputs and future plans.
Connecting research with practice
The field visits provided an opportunity for team members to experience a range of restoration landscapes, from relatively intact forests to highly modified environments undergoing active restoration. Along the way, the team met with community members, local authorities, practitioners and regional stakeholders to better understand the realities of implementing forest landscape restoration (FLR) across different contexts.
At Alédjo-Kadara, participants explored community-led conservation initiatives, including the sacred Laou Forest, where traditional governance systems support ecosystem restoration and water conservation. In Alibi 1, within Tchamba Prefecture, the team visited the Bouh-Bouh gallery forest restoration site, an agroforestry demonstration plot integrating agricultural and forest species, and the Souroutissiya beekeeping cooperative.
These visits demonstrated how restoration efforts can simultaneously support biodiversity conservation, improve climate resilience, enhance soil fertility and strengthen local livelihoods, while creating valuable opportunities for dialogue between researchers and the communities implementing restoration on the ground.
Strengthening partnerships through shared learning
Alongside the field programme, the team held collaborative working sessions to refine project outputs, discuss emerging findings from the Baobab synthesis work and plan the project’s remaining activities.
For many participants, the opportunity to connect research with practical implementation was one of the meeting’s greatest strengths.
Kossi Hounkpati, from ASCEND, described the week as both enriching and productive.
“It provided a unique opportunity to combine scientific discussions with practical field observations, strengthening the link between research and real-world FLR initiatives. We have gained substantial insights from grass-roots actors and returning to discuss with them is a meaningful way to acknowledge the value of their contributions.”
The lessons learned during the meeting will help inform two policy briefs and a practical toolbox currently being developed by the team to support restoration stakeholders.
Local leadership and regional collaboration
The visit also highlighted the importance of partnerships between researchers, governments, civil society and local communities.
Afoda Chamsoudine, National Focal Point for AFR100 within Togo’s Ministry of the Environment, Forest Resources, Coastal Protection and Climate Change, reflected on the significance of hosting the consortium.
“The scientific discussions, field visits, and engagement with local communities strengthened our belief that successful FLR depends above all on strong partnerships, mutual learning, and the commitment of local stakeholders.”
Other team members echoed these sentiments, noting that interactions with local communities and institutions provided valuable perspectives that will strengthen both the project’s scientific outputs and its practical relevance.
Harifidy Rakoto Ratsimba, from the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar, said the experience deepened the team’s understanding of how synthesis research can better support implementation through stronger stakeholder engagement.
Meanwhile, Tsegaye Bekele of Hawassa University in Ethiopia highlighted the value of observing restoration efforts firsthand and learning directly from local communities, NGOs and government officials.
A milestone for ASCEND
As the first ASCEND Baobab synthesis team to hold an international in-person meeting, the gathering demonstrated the value of taking synthesis research beyond workshop settings and into the landscapes where restoration is taking place.
By bringing together researchers, practitioners, policymakers and communities, the meeting strengthened international collaboration while ensuring that the team’s research remains grounded in the realities of forest landscape restoration across Africa.
The GREEN Resilience Africa team thanked ASCEND for making the meeting possible and expressed hope that future Baobab teams will have similar opportunities to meet and learn together in the field.
