November 4, 2024
Eden: People+Planet is committed to becoming a high-impact restoration organization focused on the long-term delivery of ecosystem restoration services that directly benefits biodiversity, climate, and the people that depend on all these things working together – which is all of us.
For just over two years, Eden: People+Planet has been going through a metamorphosis, moving from a series of tree-planting projects implemented through a variety of partnership arrangements across the globe, to a global restoration organization, focused on delivering high-quality, high-integrity holistic restoration programs at scale. To accomplish this organization-wide transformation, we have put in place comprehensive changes at all levels of the organization, and in our relationships with the various country offices affiliated with Eden’s work. The most significant changes include reforming Eden’s operating procedures, implementing strong safeguards and policies, expanding technical capacity, changing our approach to restoration through working in landscapes, embracing science-backed methods, and even rebranding the organization.
What precipitated the need for change? In one sense, we lost the forest for the trees. In November 2022 I accepted the invitation to lead Eden into its next season. We began with what we had and did a deep dive into the field data for the purpose of evaluating how best to proceed after nearly 20 years of reforestation. The answer came quickly, we needed to focus on the bigger picture: the ecosystem itself, moving beyond just planting trees and short-term employment. While planting trees is important, restoring landscapes that function properly and support the communities that depend on them for the long term is a greater need globally than at any time in human history. Trees will always be part of what we do and while we are still planting millions of trees each year in landscapes around the world, we have started implementing long-term strategies and activities to take pressure off the forests for the future. This includes everything from stakeholder vision setting and land use planning, to erosion control and fire management, to working on socioeconomic issues, health access challenges, and reestablishing water resources. And because we are trying to do this at scale, it also means committing to large areas, for up to 40 years at a time. This is what ensures sustainability and impact.
Eden: People+Planet is striving to be an efficient, strategic, and wise steward of the resources our partners have entrusted to us. This means we are making the decisions that are essential for long-term viability and impact for Eden and for every local area we commit to work. To achieve impact at this scale is costly and people often find the concept of a long-term commitment to landscapes daunting, despite the tangible need for this type of commitment. Therefore, as a strategy, we are choosing to consolidate and concentrate on fewer specific landscapes in fewer countries. We are prioritizing those with strong local partnerships to ensure that program delivery is measurable, defensible, and high integrity. Everyone who has experienced significant changes knows that some decisions and reductions are painful and unpopular for both the team of staff and partners as well as for those we serve. As difficult as this has been, it has also allowed us to be laser focused on our landscape approach and the internal systems we need to deliver higher quality and more impactful programs. We are truly grateful for our core financial partners who have embraced this expanded vision and are joining us for this amazing next step.
As we continue to transform Eden into a high impact restoration organization, undoubtedly there will be new challenges that arise. These are also opportunities for us to continue to improve, focused on the long-term delivery of ecosystem restoration services, benefiting biodiversity, climate, and all of us, the people that depend on healthy ecosystems. It is my sincere hope that many others will join us on this journey.
Bryan Adkins
CEO, Eden: People+Planet
Tigoni, Kenya
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