Healing the Wounded Land: The Role of Public Economic Incentives in Scaling Up Restoration Efforts in Six Latin American Countries

Abstract

Landscape restoration is an effective nature-based solution for combating rural poverty and climate change across Latin America. Land degradation costs Latin American economies an estimated US $52 billion per year. Restoring that land is a major economic opportunity: Restoring a hectare of land can add $1,140 in economic value for landholders, creating revenue from wood and non-wood forest products, crops, food security, carbon storage, and ecotourism.