NATURAL STATE Catalyst

NATURAL STATE is launching The African Centre for Nature Restoration in Kenya, a global centre of excellence, empowering African Leaders to manage and run large-scale carbon and restoration projects.

MOBILISING LOCAL LEADERSHIP TO RESTORE AND PROTECT LAND AND SEASCAPES

More skilled people are needed to scale nature restoration and provide long-term stewardship of the world's land and waters. The NATURAL STATE Catalyst Africa programme will equip local leaders with the knowledge, skills and networks to design, finance, and sustain large-scale restoration efforts in their communities across Africa. Together with our partners – Wildlife Research and Training Institute of Kenya, the African Leadership University, AgWild, the Borana Conservancy and the WildTeam – we are launching ‘The African Centre for Nature Restoration and Resilience’ in Kenya, a global centre of excellence located in vast restoration landscapes.

The African Centre for Nature Restoration and Resilience will position Africa as a global centre of excellence for Nature-based solutions and generate world leaders in restoration, rewilding, carbon and biodiversity markets and regenerative agriculture.

Nzuki Waita, Vice President

LOCAL TALENT AS THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND AFRICA'S RESTORATION EFFORTS

Imagine a network of passionate restoration leaders – individuals who understand the land, its challenges, and its potential. These people already exist. They are the indigenous people and local communities who already manage 70% of sub-Saharan Africa.

However, these communities are being left behind. A changing climate demands adapted approaches to restoration and access to new technologies and sources of finance to scale action.

Sharing knowledge with communities and their youth and helping build skills and networks is essential for catalysing equitable, sustainable change for nature across the continent.

OUR OFFERINGS

At the heart of the Catalyst programme will be a new centre of excellence in Laikipia, Kenya – The African Centre for Nature Restoration and Resilience – a vibrant hub for several offerings

SKILLS. Affordable, accessible skills-based, short courses provided onsite and online, scaled across Africa through a network of participating learning institutions.

KNOWLEDGE. An online Restoration Team Support Hub of replicable best practices, open-source and free, complemented by an onsite Centre for Local and Indigenous Knowledge.

NETWORKS. A vibrant online community of restoration professionals across Africa, facilitated by our partner WildHub, for lifelong peer support, knowledge sharing and collaboration.

OUR AUDIENCES

The Catalyst Africa programme prioritises:

Existing community land managers and professionals, including community conservancy leaders to maximise the potential of existing landscapes, projects, and funding.
Youth as the future leaders, tech-savvy, eager to learn, and able to bridge traditional and new approaches. Keen to start new restoration enterprises but lacking professional know-how.
Women, who will form a high proportion of our training cohorts as is essential for equity in the sector. A gender equality perspective will be integrated across our best practices.

The majority of this local talent cannot afford training. We will grow a Restoration Leaders Scholarship Fund to overcome this financial barrier and promote national ownership of restoration efforts.