Sow a seed – rainforest restoration research

One third of the world's tropical rainforests have been lost. Half of what remains is degraded. This project was launched in 1998 to show whether it is possible to rehabilitate severely degraded tropical rainforests to bring back biodiversity and value to people, both locally and globally. The ongoing project is now both a valuable natural resource and a unique source of knowledge for preventing further degradation and supporting sustainable forest restoration worldwide.

Two people measuring a seedling in the rainforest.

Our research

We assess the potential of native rainforest restoration and management to deliver multiple benefits.

Work with us

Are you a researcher, student or funder interested in rainforest restoration? Join us to explore, test and share new solutions.
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Key lessons for future restoration

More than 25 years of rainforest restoration experience and research distilled into five key lessons. Please use them!

News

  • 2025-03-21

    A new chapter begins for the restored rainforest in Borneo

    After nearly three decades of restoration, 18,500 hectares of degraded rainforest in Borneo are recovering. Now begins the next phase—deepening knowledge and ensuring real impact. Recently, over 20 local organizations in Malaysia met to share experiences and shape the way forward.
  • 2024-08-29

    Selecting the right tree species a possible key to sustainable forestry in the tropics

    Rainforests on Borneo have been heavily degraded by logging and oil palm expansion. Yet their resources are key to a fossil-free future. In his PhD thesis, Arvid Lindh (SLU) shows how smart tree selection can restore forests – while still being profitable.
  • 2024-06-19

    25 years of research shows: How to restore damaged rainforest

    For the first time, results from 25 years of work to rehabilitate fire-damaged and heavily logged rainforest are now being presented. The study fills a knowledge gap about the long-term effects of restoration and may become an important guide for future efforts to restore damaged ecosystems.
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