Healthy landscapes are the foundation for our societies. They provide food, water, clean air, stable climate, shelter, energy, livelihoods, life and meaning. Unfortunately, landscapes across the globe are degrading at a rapid rate.
We believe that landscape restoration offers tremendous untapped opportunities for sustainable economic development. Globally, about 2 billion hectares can be restored.
It is necessary. It is possible. We want to contribute to it.
And we know that in order to successfully do so, we need to combine forces and connect ecology and economy.
That’s why we have taken the initiative for this learning platform: to enable a global community of academics, practitioners, policy makers, environmental and business professionals to meet each other and to share and exchange their knowledge, expertise and first-hand experiences with landscape restoration.
Be part of the solution
Landscape stories
Read about different landscapes and their 4 returns approaches in practice.
Knowledge & tools
Find the resources you need for holistic landscape restoration
Meet, share and connect
Create your own profile, share your own cases and knowledge and connect to other global landscape restoration professionals.
Online course
22 hours to complete
beginners level
100% online
flexible deadlines
all in English
Business Model Innovation for Sustainable Landscape Restoration
Certificates available
Landscape stories
Where tradition and traceable products meet
Nomadic herding husbandry has been the economic backbone of Mongolia for centuries, but is now contributing to severe landscape degradation across the Mongolian plateau due to recent increase in the number of livestock and unsustainable grazing practices.
The Western Australian Wheatbelt
A degraded landscape with potential to bring back hope, biodiversity and sustainable, large-scale agriculture.
The Baviaanskloof is a unique biodiversity hotspot in South Africa
The Baviaanskloof is an important hotspot of biodiversity and ‘the water tower’ of several cities in South Africa. Climate Change and Overgrazing pressure the region, but communities innovate to restore their landscape.
Langkloof, home of honeybush in South Africa
The Langkloof lost wetlands, biodiversity and is prone to droughts and floods. At the same time, inspiring opportunities around wildly harvested honeybush are emerging.
Wide Open Agriculture strives to empower communities, regenerate ecosystems and inspire others
WOA is a 4 returns business and investment company, vertically integrated into the agricultural value chain.
Grounded partners with farmers to address their most pressing problems head-on
Grounded works with farmers in several landscapes of sub-saharan Africa to explore and develop sustainable agricultural models that are markedly more sustainable and profitable.
4 Returns Community Events
As a growing 4 returns community we organize regular online and offline get togethers, webinars, expert practitioner meetings and more. Check out what we have planned over the coming 6 months. You are most welcome to join.
GLF digital summits
We’re organizing 1-hour, online webinars called ‘GLF digital summits’ in collaboration with ENABLE and the Global Landscape Forum. The following topics are planned for from now – October:
October 3rd | 11 AM Central EU time – ‘Collaboration from river to coast’ – Participatory modeling to identify challenges, opportunities and synergies for restoration of coastal and rural
October 8th | 11 AM Central EU time – ‘Participatory monitoring of regenerative agriculture and agro-ecosystems’
‘Bottom-up approaches to recover from forest fires’ (mid-late October)
