Factors influencing human actions in the restoration of degraded forests and lands

Many countries are currently developing national and subnational strategies and plans for forest and land restoration. Understanding the human dimension of restoration, which has been recently dominated by ecological dimension assessments is important for strategic planning. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the human dimension of forest and land restoration in Cameroon with the view to generating knowledge and information to inform policymakers, practitioners, and local communities, involved in restoration. The study employed a mixed methods (both qualitative and quantitative) research in the data collection and analysis process. The whole study was guided by two conceptual sets of thinking – the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the Human dimension frameworks. Data for the study were collected from the tree-growing restoration policy process at the national level and from tree-growing restoration activities at the landscape and farm levels. The study concludes that factors that influence the role of human actions in tree-growing restoration practices are crucial to support large-scale restoration endeavours and the achievement of national and international restoration objectives.