A figure in robes walks a forest road in the morning light

Learn to restore land, rooted in your faith.

A free online masterclass for faith communities, in nine modules you can take at your own pace.

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Faith communities care for around 8% of the world’s habitable land. This masterclass shows you how to restore the land in your care, and helps you build a plan your community can start on straight away.

Created by the G20 Global Land Initiative with the UNCCD, and co-developed with WWF using the Faith Tree Growing curriculum from WWF and Trillion Trees.

Ecosystem restoration should rekindle, heal, and reconcile the relationship between ourselves: humans, the land, the rest of nature.

When we restore ecosystems, we reclaim our ability to collaborate as nature herself, and revive our relationship with the ecosystems we call home.

Restoring ecosystems is akin to re-learning an ancient language; with each species returned and wetland regenerated, we become more fluent in the dialogue of life.

The Midrash teaches, if not for trees, human life could not exist.

Land restoration is an act of reconciliation: between past and future, between human ambition and nature’s wisdom, between what we’ve taken and what we must give back.

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What you will learn

Nine modules, each with a short video talk, a reflection, a quiz and one part of your action plan.

01 Welcome & Global Context

Understand the scale of global land degradation and its impacts
Recognize the G20 Global Land Initiative and its 2040 targets
Appreciate why faith communities are essential partners in land restoration

Going deeper: The Restoration Economy: Facts & Figures

02 What is Restoration & Why Faith Matters

Define ecosystem restoration and distinguish it from tree planting
Understand the restorative continuum from reducing impacts to full recovery
Recognize the 10 UN Decade Principles for Ecosystem Restoration
Articulate why faith communities bring unique strengths to restoration

Going deeper: The G20 Global Land Initiative & Land Degradation Neutrality

03 Agree Your PurposeStep 1

Facilitate inclusive discussions to define a shared purpose for tree growing
Draft a vision statement and purpose statement for a restoration initiative
Begin completing Section 1 of the Faiths for Land Worksheet

Going deeper: Participatory Visioning in Multi-Faith Settings

04 Build Your PartnershipStep 2

Conduct stakeholder mapping to identify potential partners
Understand the value of interfaith and cross-generational collaboration
Establish a core team and formal partnership agreements

Going deeper: Faith as a Bridge-Builder in Land Governance

05 Develop Your PlanStep 3

Select appropriate native tree species based on purpose and local conditions
Identify suitable planting sites considering rights, access, and biophysical conditions
Develop a budget and timeline for the restoration initiative
Source seedlings and saplings sustainably

Going deeper: Ecosystem-Based Approaches to Restoration Planning

06 Implement Your PlanStep 4

Develop strategies for securing diverse funding sources
Organize effective volunteer engagement and rotation systems
Apply adaptive management when implementation challenges arise
Give constructive feedback on a peer's restoration plan

Going deeper: Funding Restoration: From Grants to Green Bonds

07 Stewardship & MonitoringStep 5

Design a practical monitoring plan with baseline data collection
Track key indicators: survival rate, growth, species health, biodiversity return
Use monitoring data to adapt and improve your restoration approach

Going deeper: Community-Based Monitoring for Land Degradation Neutrality

08 Share & ConnectStep 6

Develop a communication strategy to share your restoration journey
Connect your initiative to global platforms and networks
Inspire other faith communities to begin their own restoration journeys

Going deeper: Storytelling for Impact: From Local to Global

09 Your Action Plan & Next Steps

Review and self-assess your completed Faiths for Land Action Planning Worksheet
Identify your first three concrete actions for the next 30 days
Present your initiative in a 2-minute pitch (optional)
Connect with the global Faiths for Land community for ongoing support

Going deeper: From Restoration to Restoration Business: Sustainability Beyond Grants

Tree roots grow over the stones of an ancient temple

By the end of the course, you will have more than a certificate.

A plan you can use

A completed action plan for your community, covering your purpose, your partners, your site, your budget and your first steps.

A certificate

A certificate of completion from the G20 Global Land Initiative, UNCCD and WWF’s Beliefs and Values Programme.

People to learn with

A small circle of fellow participants to share ideas and questions with as you go.

A global network

A place in a network of 521 faith-led restoration projects across 84 countries, and the partners who support them.

Why faith communities matter to land

Figures from the G20 Global Land Initiative Faith Stocktake and the Faiths for Land map.

A small mosque surrounded by jungle in Sumatra

8% of the world’s habitable land is cared for by faith institutions
650 million people are reached by faith institutions
521 faith-led restoration initiatives are on our map
84 countries have at least one of them

How the course is built

Modules 1 and 2
Foundation
Why land matters, how much has been lost, and why faith communities are central to bringing it back.
Modules 3 to 8
The six steps
One module for each step of the Faith Tree Growing framework, from agreeing your purpose to sharing what you learn.
Module 9
Your plan
Everything comes together in a 30-day action plan, and you connect with others doing the same work.

Key dates

1 October 2026All nine modules open
5 October 2026Live opening session on Zoom, 3:00pm CEST
30 November 2026Live closing session on Zoom, 3:00pm CET
14 December 2026Finish all nine modules to receive your certificate

The masterclass is open

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