Why Sustainable Landscapes Matter for Green Growth

Sustainable Landscapes centers on sustaining healthy and functioning forests, agrarian landscapes, waterways, coastal and marine ecosystems. Forests, soils, wetlands (including peatlands and mangroves) as well as marine systems are natural assets or natural capital which are interconnected and provide services which are of significant value to sustaining local and global economies.

Unfortunately, natural capital has been under-priced and under-protected, which has lead to environmental loss with consequential economic and societal impacts, especially the billions of rural households dependent on natural resources. Degradation of ecosystems cost governments and land users around USD 10 trillion annually.

Key economic sectors in agriculture (including aquaculture), forestry and other land uses have been key drivers. 21-23% of global greenhouse gas emissions comes from the AFOLU sectors and although mangrove forests represent less than 1% of tropical forest area globally, they store disproportionately high carbon and release significant emissions when degraded. Recent studies have also highlighted that tropical peat fires – often driven by agricultural expansion and poor land management – account for a significant share of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in fire-prone regions, due to the large amounts of carbon released from peat soils when burned.

Sustainable management and restoring the functions of these forests, waterways, agrarian, coastal and marine systems is critical for inclusive and sustainable economic growth – green growth. Even though the private sector is financing increasing numbers of projects in these natural resource based sectors, investment towards landscape restoration falls short by hundreds of billions of dollars.

Private investment in sustainable natural resource use and restoration of landscapes are scarce. Risks remain too high for mainstream investors and regulatory policy uncertain for sustainable and climate resilient investments.

Strengthening landscape solutions through evidence and action

GGGI’s real-time evaluation approach generates actionable insights from ongoing landscape programs, including “Enabling Blue Carbon in Indonesia” and “Nature-based Solution for Climate Smart Livelihood in Mangrove Landscapes”. The findings highlight the importance of institutional coordination, adaptive implementation, and inclusive approaches, including gender responsiveness. These lessons are used to refine delivery and strengthen the effectiveness of landscape interventions across countries.

What does it look like when these approaches are applied in practice? In the heart of Rwanda’s capital, a neglected wetland became something extraordinary. Today, Nyandungu Eco-Park stands as proof that urban nature restoration delivers real impact for people and cities alike. Climate-resilient District Land Use Master Plans across Burera and Rutsiro districts will directly benefit more than 1 million residents by 2050, protecting ecosystems and strengthening communities for generations to come.