Regenerative Forest Economy Learning Journey Phase 1
Dala supported CLUA's Regenerative Forest Economy Learning Journey (Phase I), facilitating strategic analysis, theory of change development, and cross-initiative alignment across tropical forest regions.
Background
The Climate and Land Use Alliance (CLUA) was a collaborative of foundations working to amplify the power of people and the potential of forests for a just and climate-resilient world, with teams and programming across Brazil, Indonesia, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, and Central America. Throughout its history, CLUA supported efforts to advance sustainable economic activities that improved the well-being of forest-based and forest-reliant Indigenous peoples, Afrodescendants, and local communities (IP, AD & LCs) while strengthening forest management, conservation, restoration, and climate resilience. Over time, this body of work — referred to within CLUA as "Regenerative Forest Economies" — evolved from locally focused projects toward systemic approaches linking rights, tenure, governance, supply chains, and markets across scales. Recognising the need for greater strategic clarity and alignment across its diverse initiatives, CLUA launched a Regenerative Forest Economy Learning Journey that ran through May 2026, with Phase I focused on establishing a shared baseline of definitions, approaches, and priorities for further learning.
Approach
Dala Institute supported Phase I of the Learning Journey through a combination of document review, key informant consultations, desk analysis, generative facilitation, and product generation. The team reviewed key documents and data from within and beyond CLUA and conducted interviews with staff and stakeholders to consolidate responses to six guiding learning questions addressing the evolution of CLUA's work on regenerative forest economies, definitional clarity, theory of change development, progress and tension points, and planning for Phase II engagement with grantee partners and Alliance members. Dala facilitated structured consultations with the Regenerative Forest Economy Working Group, which met regularly throughout the process, to share and refine draft products. The team also planned and supported a CLUA workshop to validate findings and map next steps.
Results
Dala produced a suite of deliverables including a historical synthesis of CLUA's regenerative forest economy programming, a shared definition and framework, and a cross-initiative theory of change. The team prepared narrative briefings and presentation decks for use as pre-reads and focal products at the workshop, followed by a workshop report documenting discussions, agreements, and recommendations for Phase II. A deck-based executive summary and one-page synthesis were also developed for broader socialisation of findings across the Alliance.