Dryland Forest Restoration and Pasture Rehabilitation in Tbilisi

Programme Overview

Dryland ecosystems across Central Asia face accelerating degradation from prolonged droughts, overgrazing, and historic land use pressures.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌⁣ This four-day professional course in Tbilisi delivers rigorous training in arid and semi-arid silviculture, rangeland regeneration, and integrated land use planning. Participants examine applied methods to reverse desertification, protect fragile topsoils, and re-establish native biomass. Through comparative regional analysis, the curriculum provides practical tools to align national forestry mandates with international dryland restoration standards.

The programme focuses on the technical integration of tree planting and pasture management across open rangelands. Learners explore nursery management for drought-tolerant species, soil moisture conservation civil works, and structured rotational grazing models. The coursework bridges field-level interventions with spatial analytics, preparing specialists to design schemes that balance ecological integrity with local pastoralist livelihoods. Sessions address real-world constraints such as extreme continental temperature swings, saline soils, and limited water access.

Delivered through interactive technical modules, the training equips practitioners to implement landscape-scale interventions financed by international development institutions. Participants evaluate operational case studies, develop site-specific silvopastoral plans, and apply standardized ecological monitoring tools. By synthesising community-centred rangeland governance with cutting-edge Earth observation data, attendees build the institutional capacity required to deliver sustainable ecological outcomes across vulnerable arid landscapes.

Central Asian drylands are experiencing intensified pressures from climate variability and unsustainable grazing patterns, accelerating the risk of irreversible land degradation.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌⁣ This programme addresses urgent technical priorities aligned with major public initiatives, including operations under the US$4.3m Kazakhstan Resilient Landscapes Restoration Project. Natural resource agencies require immediate operational capacity to execute afforestation of degraded lands, establish functional rangeland user agreements, and meet international commitments under the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.

Delivered by Risalat Consultants International in Tbilisi, Georgia, it combines expert-led sessions, real cases and group work, so that participants can apply what they learn in their own institution.

The Programme Strengthens Institutional Capability

• Ecological principles of arid and semi-arid forest ecosystems in Central Asia
• Selection and seed sourcing of native drought-tolerant and halophytic species
• Nursery production techniques, root architecture management, and hardening
• Micro-catchment civil works, terracing, and soil moisture conservation techniques
• Planting site preparation and initial sapling establishment under moisture deficit
• Rangeland degradation drivers, carrying capacity, and forage biomass assessments
• Rotational grazing systems and seasonal pasture rest planning models
• Reseeding degraded pastures with native perennial grasses and drought-hardy shrubs
• Climate and environmental risk assessment
• Adaptation and mitigation planning
• Sector strategies for energy, water and land
• Project design for climate and environmental goals

It is designed for forestry and wildlife committee officers, rangeland management planners and pasture agronomists, landscape conservation coordinators and regional land administrators and others who want practical, current skills in climate, environment and natural resources.

The Growing Importance of Dryland Forest Restoration and Pasture Rehabilitation in Tbilisi

Climate change, environmental pressure and resource management now shape national plans, budgets and investment decisions. Financiers increasingly expect climate and environmental considerations to be built into projects from the start.

Institutions that can plan for climate risks, manage natural resources well and prepare sound proposals are better placed to protect services and to access the funding available for this work.

Organisations increasingly require professionals capable of:

• Assess climate and environmental risks to their services and assets
• Design projects that meet climate and environmental goals
• Prepare proposals that financiers can approve
• Measure and report results credibly
• Work with communities and partners across sectors

Strong climate, environment and natural resources systems help organisations:

• Protect services and infrastructure from climate risks
• Access climate and environmental finance
• Meet national and international commitments
• Use natural resources sustainably

This Dryland Forest Restoration and Pasture Rehabilitation in Tbilisi programme brings these elements together in a practical format, so that participants understand not only what good practice looks like but also how to introduce it in their own setting, with the people and resources they have.

Who Should Attend This Dryland Forest Restoration and Pasture Rehabilitation in Tbilisi Training?

This programme is designed for:

• Forestry and wildlife committee officers
• Rangeland management planners and pasture agronomists
• Landscape conservation coordinators and regional land administrators
• Project management unit specialists from donor-financed rural programmes
• Environmental specialists managing dryland biodiversity interventions
• Technical advisers supporting sustainable land management projects
• Watershed and soil conservation department engineers
• GIS and remote sensing technicians in natural resource ministries
• Protected area managers overseeing arid buffer zones
• Climate change and environment officers
• Energy, water and agriculture sector staff
• Planning and policy officers

The programme suits experienced professionals as well as those moving into new responsibilities. Groups that mix institutions and countries are encouraged, because participants learn a great deal from each other’s experience.

Dryland Forest Restoration and Pasture Rehabilitation in Tbilisi Training Objectives

Upon successful completion of this Dryland Forest Restoration and Pasture Rehabilitation in Tbilisi Training, participants will be able to:

• Master arid and semi-arid silviculture techniques suited to degraded continental drylands
• Propagate native drought-tolerant and halophytic plant species for landscape restoration
• Design pasture rotation management systems that prevent localised overgrazing
• Formulate community-based rangeland stewardship frameworks and user agreements
• Apply remote-sensing vegetation monitoring tools using established ecological indices
• Structure landscape-level restoration plans compliant with multilateral donor requirements
• Integrate physical soil and water conservation measures into afforestation operations
• Explain the main climate and environmental challenges for their sector
• Assess climate and environmental risks to services and assets
• Plan adaptation and mitigation measures

Each objective is practised during the programme through exercises, cases or group work, so that participants leave able to do it, not only to describe it.

Programme Contents and Structure

Dryland Forest Restoration and Pasture Rehabilitation in Tbilisi Training Methodology

The training combines technical lectures with applied scenario-based workshops, spatial data exercises, and structured peer exchange. Participants work through realistic arid zone restoration problems using spatial datasets and ecological profiles from Central Asian drylands. Group exercises guide attendees through the production of integrated site plans, legal framework adaptations for grazing associations, and monitoring matrices, ensuring immediate transferability to national public programmes and donor-financed project units.

The programme combines:

• Expert-led sessions on current practice
• Regional and international case studies
• Group work and practical exercises
• Simulations and role plays where relevant
• Discussion of participants' own challenges
• Peer learning across institutions and countries
• Practical tools and templates to take back to work
• Daily reflection and action planning

Before the programme, a short pre-assessment helps the facilitators understand each participant’s role and priorities, so that examples and exercises can be adjusted to the group.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌⁣ Each day ends with a short reflection in which participants note what they will apply at work.

Expected Outcomes

Upon completion of this Dryland Forest Restoration and Pasture Rehabilitation in Tbilisi Training, participants will be able to:

• Proficiency in selecting and establishing native plant species in arid environments
• Ability to compute pasture carrying capacities and formulate rotational grazing schedules
• Competence in organising functional community rangeland management frameworks
• Capability to monitor vegetation canopy dynamics using remote-sensing platforms
• Practical skill in designing comprehensive dryland restoration investment plans
• Strengthened institutional readiness to implement international environmental donor projects
• Assess climate and environmental risks
• Plan adaptation and mitigation measures

Participants leave with a personal action plan and practical tools they can use in their institution from the first week back. Institutions that send several participants can use the programme to agree shared methods and templates across teams, which makes improvements easier to sustain.

Institutional Application of Dryland Forest Restoration and Pasture Rehabilitation in Tbilisi Training

This programme supports organisations in strengthening:

• Climate and environmental planning
• Project design
• Access to finance
• Results measurement
• Stakeholder involvement

Participants return with practical tools to improve:

• Risk assessments
• Concept notes
• Results frameworks
• Monitoring systems
• Partnership arrangements

The programme is built so that learning moves from the classroom into the institution. Participants work on their own processes and documents where possible, and leave with an action plan that their managers can review and support.

Regional Relevance & Application

Europe

European institutions apply climate, environment and natural resources within detailed regulatory frameworks and reform agendas. Participants from Europe can compare their practice with colleagues from other regions and test how established methods work under different conditions.

Africa

Across Africa, ministries, agencies and project teams working in climate, environment and natural resources increasingly operate alongside donor-financed programmes that expect clear systems and evidence. The programme helps participants adapt good practice to the institutions and resources they work with.

Middle East

In the Middle East, national development strategies and diversification plans place growing demands on climate, environment and natural resources. Participants explore how to build the capability these plans need inside public bodies and companies.

Asia

Institutions across Asia combine rapid growth with ambitious modernisation programmes. Participants from Asia can share their experience of scaling systems quickly and learn from approaches used elsewhere.

Pacific

Small island and Pacific states face particular constraints of size, distance and capacity. The programme highlights practical, proportionate approaches to climate, environment and natural resources that suit smaller institutions.

Holding the programme in Tbilisi, Georgia brings participants together away from their daily pressures, so they can compare how climate, environment and natural resources is handled in different settings. The same programme can also be delivered in-house for one institution, in its own country or online, with cases taken from its current work.

Host Country Profile – Georgia

Programmes, Workshops, Exposures, Training Courses in Tbilisi, Georgia by Risalat Consultants International

Studying away from their own country gives participants time to focus, a fresh view of their own institution and the chance to build a network with colleagues from other countries.

Dryland Forest Restoration and Pasture Rehabilitation in Tbilisi Training Deliverables

Participants receive support before, during and after the programme, so that preparation, learning and follow-up form one continuous experience.

Before the Programme

• Participant Pre-Assessment
• Dryland Forest Restoration and Pasture Rehabilitation in Tbilisi Readiness Assessment
• Dryland Forest Restoration and Pasture Rehabilitation in Tbilisi Resource Pack
• Preparatory Reading Materials
• Complimentary Visa Support & Advisory

During the Programme

• Airport Pickup & Welcome Assistance
• Accommodation with Breakfast
• Welcome Networking Dinner
• Risalat Training Kit (Bag, Bottle, Mug, T-Shirt, Cap, Passport Cover, Pens, Notebook, Magnet & Keychain)
• Comprehensive Dryland Forest Restoration and Pasture Rehabilitation in Tbilisi Training Manual
• Climate Risk Screening Checklist
• Options Appraisal Template
• Concept Note Template
• Results Measurement Template
• Practical Workshops & Simulations
• Group Discussions & Peer Learning
• Daily Lunch and Refreshments
• Full Access to Training Venue Facilities
• Mini Pad / Tablet with Digital Learning Materials
• Field Visit (where applicable)
• Entertaining City Tour

After the Programme

• Certificate of Completion
• Risalat Programme Participation Recognition Award
• Post-Training Reference Materials
• Funding Readiness Checklist
• Monitoring and Reporting Template
• Post-Training Support & Follow-Up Guidance
• Programme Report

Institutions can also request a tailored in-house version of this programme, delivered at their premises or online. Request a proposal.

Common Challenges in Dryland Forest Restoration and Pasture Rehabilitation in Tbilisi, And How This Training Helps

How can institutions assess climate and environmental risks to their services and assets?

The programme addresses this directly on the first day (Arid Silviculture and Native Drought-Tolerant Propagation), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions design projects that meet climate and environmental goals?

The programme addresses this directly on the second day (Pasture Rehabilitation and Rotational Grazing Systems), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions prepare proposals that financiers can approve?

The programme addresses this directly on the third day (Community Stewardship, Land Tenure, and Spatial Monitoring), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions measure and report results credibly?

The programme addresses this directly on the fourth day (Landscape-Level Planning and Project Implementation), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions work with communities and partners across sectors?

The programme addresses this directly on the first day (Arid Silviculture and Native Drought-Tolerant Propagation), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where does the Dryland Forest Restoration and Pasture Rehabilitation in Tbilisi programme take place?

It runs from 12 Jul 2027 to 15 Jul 2027, in Tbilisi, Georgia. The registration deadline is shown at the top of this page.

Who should attend?

The programme is designed for forestry and wildlife committee officers, rangeland management planners and pasture agronomists, landscape conservation coordinators and regional land administrators, project management unit specialists from donor-financed rural programmes, and others who want practical skills in climate, environment and natural resources.

Will I receive a certificate?

Yes. Participants who complete the programme receive a Certificate of Completion from Risalat Consultants International.

Can this programme be delivered for our institution only?

Yes. We can deliver a tailored in-house version at your premises, in another city or online, built around your own cases. Use the proposal request on this page.

Do I need prior experience in climate, environment and natural resources?

No specialist background is required beyond experience in a related role. A short pre-assessment helps the facilitators adapt the sessions to the group.

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