What is ANR?
ANR is any set of activities, short of tree planting, which enhance the natural processes of forest regeneration. It includes the protective measures to remove barriers to natural forest regeneration (e.g. fire and livestock), along with additional actions to i) “assist” or “accelerate” the growth of natural regenerants that are already established in the restoration site (seedlings, saplings and live stumps of indigenous forest tree species) and ii) encourage seed dispersal into the restoration site.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) supported much of the research that helped to transform ANR from a concept into an effective and practicable technique, in partnership with the Philippines’ government and community-based NGO’s. FAO now promotes ANR as a method for enhancing the establishment of secondary forests by protecting and nurturing seed trees and wildlings already present in the area. With ANR, secondary and degraded forests grow faster than they would naturally. Because this method merely enhances already existing natural processes, it requires less labour than tree planting and there are no tree nursery costs. It can, therefore, be a low-cost way to restore forest ecosystems.