From afforestation to forest landscape restoration in DPRK: Gaps and challenges

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is currently in a state of severe deforestation and forest degradation, such that it was selected a beneficiary for Forest and Landscape Restoration (FLR) programs run by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). This study investigates the status and gaps in the implementation of FLR actions and analyzes the key challenges to FLR implementation. To accomplish this, I visited ministries relevant to forest and landscape restoration, selected and interviewed officials and professionals, and based our research on 10 years of experiences working in DPRK. Further, I proposed a roadmap for FLR implementation. Our results indicate that there is a need for a profound shift in attitudes towards the role of local people, recognizing that local people can be the main actors and partners in forest and landscape management. The reformation of the forestry sector and policies is needed to support the transformation of local livelihoods into a forest-friendly paradigm to exit the vicious cycle of "poverty and hunger-deforestation-environmental degradation-poverty and hunger." Future FLR policies need to focus on the decentralization of forest management, clarification of forest tenure, and improvement of multi-sectoral cooperation and multi-level collaboration. The role of traditional knowledge and customary regulations should be highlighted, and forest management needs to be integrated into socio-economic development planning and programs.