Report on international transfer of knowledge on community engagement and the role of business

D5.2 will synthesise best practice in innovative solutions to wetland restoration based on both the European and international experience. All partners and all Knowledge Sites will be involved. The Task will build on existing restoration-related activities and reports, e.g. well-established networks such as Oppla, the EKLIPSE report of barriers to restoration, SER-Europe, Eurosite, technical support reports for EC on restoration, etc.Sub-task 5.2.1. Review of best practice (Lead: WI)First, it will review the literature on best practice for restoration, including both peer-reviewed and grey literature from former projects. Working with each of the WPs, we will evaluate existing guidelines and handbooks and publish a comprehensive review. The evidence will be made available in different formats to target the diversity of stakeholders and increase the uptake of best practices throughout the restoration community (Lead WI).Second, it will examine the international experience and has particular relevance to WP2 (engagement) and WP4 (finance). It will also include the transfer of knowledge from the global South, as practice in community engagement can often be quite advanced in developing countries with lessons for the European context. The sub-task will also include a review of the role of agribusiness, of disaster-risk reduction and Nature-Based Solutions, linking with the opportunities for financing being examined in WP4. This will be presented as 8 adaptable business models, an analytical report (M8) and an interactive workshop (M6) linking WaterLANDS contribution to large-scale restoration with initiatives in countries where expansive areas of land can be available.Third, using the information from the Knowledge Sites, other pilot projects and network platforms, this deliverable will identify the key factors from the European experience that make for the sustainable upscaling of restoration. The Sub-task includes links with Task 8.6. The sub-task will quantify the size, effects, costs and benefits of wetland restoration currently taking place across Europe, taking care to include a wide cross-section of experience, including the particular role of peatlands with their distinct carbon storage function. The objective here is to integrate information about the effectiveness of restoration, governance, community support and social processes, and funding, by comparing successful and less successful cases. Evidence will be collated from experts and actors via targeted questionnaires and interviews. These in turn will inform workshops for all partners with the focus on practical restoration solutions (e.g. restoring semi-natural systems and production functions vs. the restoration of wild landscapes), managing conflicting interests, and dealing with trade-offs and sub-optimal solutions. For logistical purposes, these sessions will be combined with the workshop proposed for 5.3.1.