Livelihood security policy can support ecosystem restoration

Abstract

Earth faces an unprecedented ecological crisis: the destruction of its ecosystems. Despite increasing interest in restoration, including through the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (Decade), lack of financing and resources mean efforts to reverse degradation have advanced slowly. Restoration efforts require new approaches to ensure the needs of different stakeholders are met. However, analyses of policies and opportunities that help to finance restoration while improving socioecological outcomes, are lacking. This paper analyzes livelihood security funding and opportunities for ecosystem restoration, drawing on India's Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the world's largest livelihood security program. The paper analyzes MGNREGA's performance between financial years 2013-2021, focusing on the financing of ecosystem restoration-related works, community mobilization and policy implementation in the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, the paper reflects on the benefits and shortcomings of MGNREGA and considers wider lessons for the Decade. MGNREGA generated significant funding flows and numbers of projects nationally, which can contribute to ecosystem restoration. Policy design enabled the continuation and increase of works even during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings demonstrate the potential of linking ecosystem restoration with development policies to unlock funds, on a national scale. To maximize contributions to ecosystem restoration nevertheless requires capacity building, inclusion of environmental indicators and integration of best ecosystem restoration practices.

We asked and #GenerationRestoration delivered: the Joint Special Feature between the British Ecological Society and the Society for Ecological Restoration

“…One theme throughout many of the published studies was the importance of focusing on human well-being (e.g. livelihood security [Lengefeld et al 2022]; poverty alleviation [Nsikani et al 2023]; dismantling inequity [Sigman 2021]; job creation [Brancalion et al 2022]) as a key to meaningfully engaging communities and enlisting support.…”

Contribution of National Rural Employment Guarantee Program on Rejuvenation and Restoration of Community Forests in India

“…Despite the interest of scholars on the nature and progress of employment generation under MGNREGS, few studies have, in retrospect, analyzed its aim of creating productive, useful and durable public and private assets. A recent study (Lengefeld et al, 2021) examined the livelihood security funding and potential opportunities for ecosystem restoration, with reference to MGNREGS from 2013 to 2021. The authors found that the scheme through its funding flows and projects contributes to ecosystem restoration, indicating that there lies the potential of linking ecosystem restoration with development policies to acquire the necessary funding opportunities.…”

“…The authors found that the scheme through its funding flows and projects contributes to ecosystem restoration, indicating that there lies the potential of linking ecosystem restoration with development policies to acquire the necessary funding opportunities. This, would be maximized through capacity building as well as incorporation of environmental indicators and integration of the best ecosystem restoration practices (Lengefeld et al, 2021). This paper makes a critical analysis of the research studies, including papers, evaluation reports and other documents on the MGNREGS, its contribution to the community with a specific focus on forest rejuvenation and restoration across states in India.…”

“…Further, restoration of the ecological lifelines of river embankments and earthen dams with mangrove plantation were also done, with planting of mangoes and other fruit trees in Bankura district of West Bengal (Mishra and Mishra, 2018). This highlights that such restoration initiatives can foster eco-tourism industry in India (Lengefeld et al, 2021). Other than the cited forest restoration reports, conservation terracing was another activity under MGNREGS (Tiwari et al, 2011).…”

Climate Resilient Development Pathways in Global Drylands

“…Yet, achievement of LDN demands all aspects of an enabling environment to be addressed, including inclusive policies, regulations and enforcement, sustainable institutions, timely and accessible finance and effective knowledge-sharing (Verburg et al 2019) in conjunction with transparent, inclusive and replicable decision processes to prioritise areas that are targeted for investment (Dallimer and Stringer 2018). While restoration actions have been shown to support adaptation and provide alternative livelihoods (Lengefeld et al 2022), there is still a need to increase off-farm incomes in many drylands, introducing new value chains and less climatesensitive alternative livelihoods. For example, smallholder farmers in African drylands are diversifying their income sources to offset reduced yields or crop losses by shifting labour resources to off-farm work, or by migrating seasonally or longer term (Hove and Gweme 2018;Kangalawe 2017).…”