Languages
English, Spanish, French, Portuguese
Course type
Massive Open Online Course
Estimated effort
14 hours
Course dates
1 June - 31 July 2026
Languages
English, Spanish, French, Portuguese
Course type
Massive Open Online Course
Estimated effort
14 hours
Course dates
June 1 - July 24 2026
As one of many approaches to restore ecosystems, assisted natural regeneration (ANR) offers a wide range of environmental and social benefits. Compared to restoration programs focused primarily on planting, assisting or facilitating natural regeneration can offer greater benefits for the recovery of local native biodiversity, improve ecological connectivity within landscapes, and increase resilience to environmental stressors at lower cost. ANR practices provide unique opportunities for communities to engage in restoration activities that enhance both ecological and cultural memory. Major global environmental institutions and community-led efforts are embracing ANR implementation as a cost-effective restoration strategy when implemented under suitable conditions. The GEF8 Ecosystem Restoration Integrated Program (ERIP) has a strong emphasis on ANR, with many of the 20 countries proposing ANR implementation in different ecosystem types. But these efforts are limited because few restoration project staff receive training to implement ANR. Although knowledge products and guidance documents regarding practice of ANR are now available to practitioners, no formal training program on ANR exists.
The ANR Alliance, together with the Society for Ecological Restoration and Ecosystem Restoration Integrated Program Global Coordination Project are pleased to offer this free eight-week course to ecosystem restoration practitioners. Course materials include five factsheets and six guidance briefs focused on ANR practices. The course will be offered annually in 2026, 2027 and 2028 in four languages.
Partners: Target audience
This course is designed for:
- Ecosystem restoration practitioners working in ecological restoration, landscape restoration, sustainable forest management, conservation, agroforestry or sustainable agriculture
- Leaders of community-based restoration initiatives
- Forest landscape restoration implementers
- Natural regeneration researchers who seek engagement with assisted natural regeneration restoration projects
Learning objectives
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
- Perform baseline assessments and select sites for ANR projects
- Select restoration approaches that are well suited to the site and local context, from agroforestry and other mixed production systems to ecological restoration
- Evaluate barriers and enabling factors for ANR implementation
- Implement effective ANR practices in suitable areas to achieve specific project objectives
- Understand actors and social networks to enhance community engagement in ANR projects
- Learn how to assess the costs and benefits of ANR interventions
- Develop monitoring protocols for ANR projects, including establishment of untreated control sites and reference sites
- Align ANR projects with production and conservation land uses in the target landscapes
- Compare approaches and learn lessons from a wide range of ANR case studies of different regions and ecosystems
- Communicate the benefits of ANR to different audiences
Course structure
The course covers the following topics:
- Week 1: Introduction to assisted natural regeneration, principles and practices
- Week 2: Biophysical and socioeconomic obstacles and enabling factors
- Week 3: Conducting baseline site and landscape assessments
- Week 4: Case studies of ANR implementation: practices and outcomes
- Week 5: Assessing the costs and benefits of ANR implementation
- Week 6: Integrating ANR with production and conservation activities
- Week 7: Monitoring and assessment of ANR
- Week 8: Communicating the benefits and outcomes of ANR
A detailed course syllabus is available here.
Course completion requirements
To receive your certificate of completion, you must:
- Pass eight quizzes with a minimum score of 60%
- Submit the pre-course and post-course surveys
Questions?
For more information or if you have any questions, please contact the course team at
in**@***************re.org.
Course modules
Meet and Greet
Introduce yourself to fellow course participants here!
Meet and Greet
Introduce yourself to fellow course participants here!
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enrolled
Course Includes
- 13 Modules
- 28 Activities
- 8 Quizzes
- Course Certificate