Forest Ecosystem Restoration Initiative 

Massive Open Online Course on Ecosystem Restoration​

 

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) are offering a FREE self-paced course on Ecosystem Restoration. This course is available thanks to the generous support of the European Union and the Korea Forest Service of the Government of the Republic of Korea through the Forest Ecosystem Restoration Initiative (FERI). This course compiles research from leading institutions engaged in ecosystem restoration and experts in the field to raise awareness and build ecosystem restoration capacity. 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

About the course

The course serves as an introduction to the Short-Term Action Plan on Ecosystem Restoration (STAPER) - a flexible framework adopted by the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity to support, inter alia, governments in the development and implementation of their national restoration strategies. The course is geared to government representatives interested in creating a blueprint for ecosystem restoration at the national or subnational level, but is open to everyone. The course is currently offered in English. Versions of the course in French and Spanish are forthcoming.

​

Course highlights and outcomes

• Gain the skills needed to create a blueprint for ecosystem restoration

• Join a community-of-practice committed to preventing, halting, and reversing the trend of ecosystem degradation

• Explore rich learning materials, diving into detailed content based on your needs

• Learn how to select the most appropriate interventions for your context from a range of restorative practices

• Receive a certificate of completion from the course partners

 

Learning objectives

By the time of the course completion, the participant will be able to:

• Define ecosystem restoration and explain its importance 

• Outline the types of ecosystems and ecosystem services

• Explain approaches to and principles of restoration 

• Understand how stakeholder participation and inclusive and gender-responsive planning are critical to your restoration project

• Place restoration in the context of large-scale initiatives and agreements

• Understand the steps and activities involved in developing a plan for ecosystem restoration

• Tailor your restoration plan based on real-world examples 

• Conceptualize the application of the Short-Term Action Plan on Ecosystem Restoration in your context.

 

Course topics

The course cover the following topics: 

• Module 1: Introduction to ecosystem restoration

• Module 2: Legal, policy and governance aspects

• Module 3: Assessment of opportunities and priorities for restoration

• Module 4: Cost-benefit analysis, accounting processes and resource mobilization

• Module 5: Strategic planning processes

• Module 6: Selection and implementation of restoration interventions

• Module 7: Monitoring and evaluation

• Module 8: Capacity-building and development

 

For more information or if you have any questions, please contact the CBD FERI team at feri@un.org  or the UNDP Learning for Nature course team at info@learningfornature.org.