Site visit insights from Kenya and Uganda
Philanthropic Restoration Manager
Edited: 10 Oct 2025
10 min read
Imagine a future where your supply chains are disrupted by unpredictable weather patterns, your brand reputation is tarnished by unsustainable practices, and your ability to attract top talent dwindles. This isn't a distant threat; it's the reality facing businesses that fail to integrate nature into their climate strategy. A 2023 study by PwC found that 55% of global GDP – equivalent to about US$58 trillion—is moderately or highly dependent on nature. Business leaders know that sustainability is key for business success - Ecologi’s 2025 Climate commitments survey revealed that 85% of business leaders believe that investing in sustainability delivers positive business results.
Our recent travels to Kenya and Uganda revealed not just projects, but profound transformations – of landscapes, of communities, and of the very definition of business resilience. We witnessed firsthand how these projects are delivering quantifiable returns on investment across critical dimensions: biodiversity enhancement, water security, and improved livelihoods. Read on to learn how our partners are monitoring project progress to ensure they’re delivering measurable, long-lasting outcomes for people, nature and our climate, and to give Ecologi customers confidence that their funding is being put to good use.
Watch the video from our Kenya site visit
Why businesses should invest in holistic landscape restoration
For sustainability leaders, the pressure to demonstrate meaningful impact and avoid reputational risks associated with greenwashing is real. Holistic landscape restoration isn't just an answer; it's a strategic imperative that offers tangible, measurable contributions to your net-zero and nature restoration targets, addressing regulatory pressures and investor expectations head-on.
Strengthening entire ecosystems by restoring biodiversity, stabilising soils, improving water cycles, and boosting the resilience of landscapes and communities facing the impacts of climate change allows businesses to report on a broad selection of measurable impacts that clearly evidence the positive changes to which they have contributed.
For businesses, investing in landscape restoration is not just about doing the right thing. In an era of increasing climate volatility and resource scarcity, your business faces escalating risks - from disrupted supply chains due to ecosystem degradation, to financial penalties from evolving nature-related regulations. Holistic landscape restoration acts as a powerful buffer, enhancing the resilience of critical ecosystems that underpin your operations and supply chains, thereby safeguarding future profitability and creating enduring value.
Beyond compliance, funding landscape restoration gives you an opportunity to distinguish your brand from competitors and attract purpose-driven talent. In a market where customers are increasingly seeking sustainable alternatives, showcasing genuine, verifiable nature-positive action offers a compelling competitive advantage.
As nature rises up the corporate agenda, funding locally-led, holistic landscape restoration with partners who are measuring project progress stands out as one of the most effective nature-based solutions for companies to contribute towards a healthier planet, while also future-proofing their business.
What holistic landscape restoration looks like in practice
The partner organisations delivering each of the landscape restoration projects Ecologi funds regularly provide our Impact team with progress reports, and we remotely monitor progress via satellite imagery analysis, but nothing beats seeing the projects for ourselves to fully understand the impacts being delivered. In May 2025, we headed to Kenya and Uganda to visit some of the projects we have been supporting for the last few years to meet our partner organisations and members of the local communities, and learn from them about the impacts the projects were having on their lives and their environment.
It’s important to recognise that landscape restoration can take many forms. We visited projects that differed greatly in many ways, such as scale, primary intervention type, and biome. But it’s the way in which they are similar that makes them effective; they are developed and delivered in partnership with passionate local communities and organisations, with great sensitivity to local ecosystems and livelihoods, and with a long-term plan for ensuring ongoing restoration and protection.
Kenya
In Nakuru County, Kenya we joined the International Tree Foundation (ITF) team, as well as representatives from the local branch of the Kenya Forest Service (KFS), members of the Wezesha CBO, and members of the local community involved in the project to visit two sites that form part of the Dundori project we’ve funded since 2022, which forms part of the Mau forest complex. We witnessed the true partnership that has been formed between these four groups of people, grounded in respect for one another and a passion for protecting and restoring this landscape, which is so important for hundreds of thousands of people who rely on the water generated and regulated by the Mau forest complex.
Above: Wycliffe Matika - Africa Programme Manager at International Tree Foundation - standing within an agroforestry plot owned by a local farmer supported by the Dundori project. |
This project epitomises what it means to be holistic. Through extensive consultation with local communities, ITF was able to identify the key drivers of forest degradation locally, and implement interventions to address these while making advocates of the people living closest to the forest, ensuring its protection for years to come. Teaching local women to build and install energy efficient cookstoves has equipped them with skills they can use to generate income, and has reduced the pressure on existing forests. Distributing high-value fruit trees to local farmers is creating new income streams for farmers, diversifying and enhancing local diets, and helping to protect soils by maintaining crop cover throughout the year. For businesses reliant on agricultural supply chains, this direct investment in local economies translates into future-proofed resource availability and reduced vulnerability to climatic shocks. And new jobs have been created to protect the trees too, with KFS staff stationed at restoration sites also using part of the site to grow crops for their own families, generating more local goodwill towards the project.
Esther Waithira, whose home we visited where she showed us her newly installed efficient cookstove, and who was a recipient of high-value fruit trees, told us - “I have witnessed the value of the project in my life and in the community.”
Travelling with the ITF team, we headed to another project supported by Ecologi since 2022 - Kakamega - where the last fragment of tropical rainforest in Kenya is being restored thanks to local community efforts, coordinated by ITF. While this project is based in a different type of ecosystem to that of Dundori, the same principles of high quality restoration apply, including co-developing restoration plans with local communities, working in strong partnership with a local organisation - in this case Women in Water and Natural Resources Conservation (WWANC) - and the KFS.
Above: Representatives from all the contributing organisations involved in the partnership that is restoring part of the Kakamega forest: ITF, WWANC, KFS, and Ecologi. |
Listening to members of the local community involved in delivering the project in their roles as scouts who help to monitor project progress, we learned how the project was evolving to deliver better outcomes. The Kakamega project provided a powerful lesson in adaptive management, which is crucial for impactful ecosystem restoration. When initial methods for controlling invasive guava proved less effective, the local team's invaluable on-the-ground observations directly informed a pivot in strategy, leading to significantly better growth rates for native trees. This iterative learning, driven by local knowledge, highlights the agility and effectiveness of our locally-led approach, ensuring your investment delivers optimal ecological outcomes. This is a clear demonstration of the importance of working hand-in-hand with local communities through every stage of project design and delivery - local people not only have extensive knowledge about the ecosystem being restored, but also interact with the restoration sites on a regular basis, enabling them to monitor progress and inform the adoption of alternative restoration techniques when suitable.
Uganda
Crossing the border into Uganda, we joined the Trees for the Future (TREES) team, and travelled with them to two projects Ecologi has supported over the last five years - Mount Elgon 5 and Busoga 2. These projects involve groups of farmers completing a four-year Forest Garden training programme, which the farmers at Mount Elgon 5 have now completed. It was great to visit farmers who have completed this training and farmers who are part-way through the programme to appreciate how the knowledge is transferred over time to ensure farmers fully understand every aspect of the Forest Garden approach.
Peter Musimbi, a farmer in a neighbouring project receiving funding from Ecologi commented on the long-term stability that a holistic project brings participants, saying, “Even when the project [ends], I’ll be somebody. I won’t need to beg. I will be able to do this on my own.”
Each project is formed through thorough local discussions with local farmers, who form groups of 10-15 farmers, with each group having one or two lead farmers helping to keep farmers fully engaged and raising any questions or issues they may have with the TREES team to ensure the smooth running of the programme. Ensuring all participating farmers are fully informed about the project and what will be expected of them ahead of signing up is crucial to ensure buy-in throughout the duration of the project. What we witnessed in person was that every farmer we visited was enthusiastic about the Forest Garden approach and the TREES team, and was keen to show us around their Forest Garden and tell us about the improvements they had already seen, and their plans for the future. Being laden down with freshly picked papayas at the end of each day exemplified the pride the farmers had in their work, and how grateful they were to be involved in such an impactful initiative!
Above: Papaya trees growing in a Forest Garden in Mount Elgon 5. |
Above: Papaya trees growing in a Forest Garden in Busoga 2, alongside maize, timber trees, and the green wall. |
Measuring outcomes from landscape restoration projects
For sustainability leaders, verifiable data is the bedrock of credible reporting and strategic decision-making. Our partners collect a comprehensive array of data points, ensuring your investment is not only impactful but also demonstrably accountable against key performance indicators (KPIs) critical for your ESG reporting and stakeholder engagement. Each of our landscape restoration partners collects a range of data points to provide this detail to Ecologi and our customers. Here are just a few of the ways we witnessed our partners in Kenya and Uganda tracking progress.
Biodiversity
Trees planted: Within the Forest Garden projects, trees planted by each farmer are recorded in workbooks by farmers and shared with the TREES team. Several farmers we visited showed us these workbooks, with carefully recorded data about the number of each species of tree they had planted and when.
Tree survival rate: The ITF team uses their ITF tree app to record monitoring data in the field. We saw a demonstration of the monitoring process, which gives a reliable survival rate, repeated frequently to monitor growth and ensure action can be taken swiftly if an issue is identified.
Above: Edwin Mwiti - Africa GIS Officer at ITF - demonstrating the monitoring process at Dundori. |
Pollinator species: Surveys conducted at Mount Elgon 5 Forest Gardens have identified over 175 species of bees. Other observations have demonstrated the increased biodiversity within Forest Gardens compared with traditional farming fields, including reptiles seeking shade with the green walls of the Forest Gardens.
Ecosystem services
Water and soil health: Increased water retention within Forest Gardens and reduced soil erosion are both indicators of enhanced ecosystem services, and contribute to increased crop yields, measured by tracking the revenue generated from Forest Gardens. Greater crop yields are generating increased revenue for farmers at local markets. We visited one such market where TREES farmers sell their produce.
Reduced chemical usage: No chemical fertilisers or pesticides are used by farmers implementing the Forest Garden approach, supporting healthier soils and watercourses. The elimination of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, replaced by natural alternatives , isn't just an environmental win; it’s a direct contribution to healthier ecosystems and, for consumer-facing brands, aligns with growing demand for sustainable, organic produce, providing a clear market differentiation. When we visited farmers who had graduated the four-year programme at a large market, their green t-shirts (given to them at their graduation ceremony) identified them to buyers as sellers of organic, high-quality produce, which helped increase the amount of produce they could sell, boosting household incomes.
Community benefits
Cookstoves distributed: Across the Dundori project, 610 efficient cookstoves have been installed. These have several benefits for their owners, and one woman we met told us that it has been really transformative for keeping her children safe because she no longer has an open fire in her home, and she is also able to leave food cooking while she works on her land.
This measurable impact provides compelling evidence for high social value scoring in tenders, demonstrating your commitment to sustainable development.
Money for education: Increased revenue for farmers and local community members involved in the projects is enabling parents to pay their children’s school fees.
Gender equality: Each project we visited reports on what proportion of beneficiaries are women.
Increased household income allowing families to pay children's school fees, coupled with our focus on gender equality through women's participation, are powerful social impact metrics. They prove your organisation’s genuine social responsibility, crucial for attracting and retaining talent, especially among younger demographics. These outcomes translate directly into higher scores on RFP social value categories.
Above: Members of the local community who are working alongside Wezesha, ITF and KFS to restore Dundori forest. Many are employed as scouts, leading the restoration efforts and monitoring progress. |
Scaling locally-led landscape restoration for long-term impact
For businesses seeking to maximise the impact of their sustainability investments, the inherent scalability of holistic, locally-led restoration is a critical advantage. By building projects on strong local foundations and fostering community ownership, we create a model that naturally expands, ensuring your capital generates long-lasting and widening positive change.
Co-developing and delivering projects in partnership with local communities and locally-based organisations ensures that the project serves the needs of local people, while also having the skills and knowledge within the project area to keep the project on track. This builds strong foundations which creates the conditions needed for local communities to take ownership of the project for decades to come.
Something that we noticed on our site visit was that project success - whether that be the regeneration of the forest itself, or the improved living conditions of the local people involved in the project - always garners the attention of other nearby communities who want to get involved. Building trust between local communities and partner organisations is crucial to foster an environment that allows for projects to scale: trust is hard-earned and easily broken, especially in communities that have been taken advantage of by external groups in the past. But when that trust is built, positive news spreads fast. Before long, the next area to be restored has been identified alongside community leaders who share our ambitions to bring benefits to nature and local people. For sustainability leaders, this means it is important to invest in projects with robust community buy-in to mitigate the reputational risks associated with perceived 'top-down' interventions, to ensure enduring positive impact that resonates with your stakeholders. Monitoring the impacts of these projects as they scale across landscapes is crucial to learn quickly, adapt approaches to local circumstances, and maximise the benefits that landscape restoration can bring.
Work with Ecologi to deliver measurable landscape restoration
The evidence is clear: nature is no longer a peripheral concern but a central pillar of sustainable business. Investing in trusted, measurable, and locally-led landscape restoration is not merely an option; it's a strategic imperative for resilience, reputation, and growth. Don't just meet your targets; exceed them with verifiable, impactful action.
Connect with our team today to explore how working with Ecologi can transform your net-zero and BVCM strategy into tangible, lasting impact, and strengthen your business for the future.