African Centre for Nature
Restoration and Resilience

NATURAL STATE is establishing the African Centre for Nature
Restoration and Resilience (ACNRR) in Laikipia, Kenya—a global centre of excellence designed to accelerate the rapid growth of locally led restoration across Africa, and a foundation for future sister institutions in Asia, Latin America, and North America. The ACNRR advances local leadership, collective innovation, and market access by focusing on four goals: strengthening local leadership, supporting local restoration solutions, improving access to finance and markets, and growing the wider ecosystem of services needed to deliver restoration at scale.

MOBILISING LOCAL LEADERSHIP TO RESTORE AND PROTECT LAND AND SEASCAPES

More skilled people are needed to scale nature restoration and provide long-term stewardship of the world's land and waters. The NATURAL STATE Catalyst Africa programme will equip local leaders with the knowledge, skills and networks to design, finance, and sustain large-scale restoration efforts in their communities across Africa. Together with our partners – Wildlife Research and Training Institute of Kenya, the African Leadership University, AgWild, the Borana Conservancy and the WildTeam – we are launching ‘The African Centre for Nature Restoration and Resilience’ in Kenya, a global centre of excellence located in vast restoration landscapes.

LOCAL TALENT AS THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND AFRICA'S RESTORATION EFFORTS

Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) are the primary custodians of vast terrestrial and marine ecosystems across the continent, yet they are too often excluded from restoration leadership, financing, and decision-making. This undermines their vital role in stewardship, erodes local ownership, and can weaken the long-term sustainability of restoration initiatives. Women and youth remain particularly underrepresented.

Restoration must scale—urgently, sustainably, and equitably—and that requires direct investment in people through accessible training, actionable tools, and real pathways to finance and markets.

What the Centre provides

The African Centre for Nature Restoration and Resilience is designed to anchor our wider mission through practical programmes and pathways to finance and markets.

Knowledge - Practical, affordable short courses (online and on-site in Laikipia, Kenya) that build real-world skills in restoration, leadership, organisational development, and market access.
Skills - Best practices, toolkits, and learning resources that help practitioners apply what works and adapt to emerging threats - paired with an on-site hub that centres Indigenous and local knowledge and supports shared learning.
Networks - A vibrant community of restoration professionals across Africa, facilitated by our partner WildHub, built for lifelong peer support, knowledge sharing, and collaboration.

Programs

Lifelong Learning

The ACNRR will offer a comprehensive suite of vocational learning offerings, covering skills including restoration, leadership, organisational development, and market access. Online communities of practice, hosted by our partner platform WildHub, will provide expert insights and dedicated space for peer-to-peer learning and innovation.

Resilience & Innovation Incubator

A funding mechanism embedded within the Indigenous & Community Solutions Hub that provides microgrants to local leaders to pilot and share innovative restoration approaches.

Indigenous & Community Solutions Hub

A physical space on-site at the ACNRR designed to put Indigenous and local knowledge at the heart of nature restoration. It provides a collaborative platform to gather and adapt solutions to emerging challenges and co-create practical guides and toolkits for exchange.

Enterprise Accelerator

A support programme to strengthen the broader ecosystem of service providers that enable restoration implementation at scale, offering business planning mentorship and opportunities for early-stage capital.

Removing barriers, creating opportunity

Skills-based training and professional development opportunities are often scarce and unaffordable. The Restoration Leaders’ Bursary Fund helps overcome this financial barrier and supports access for underrepresented groups.

Get Involved

Want to learn more about upcoming courses, bursary opportunities, or partnership options?

OUR AUDIENCES

The Catalyst Africa programme prioritises:

Existing community land managers and professionals, including community conservancy leaders to maximise the potential of existing landscapes, projects, and funding.

Youth as the future leaders, tech-savvy, eager to learn, and able to bridge traditional and new approaches. Keen to start new restoration enterprises but lacking professional know-how.

Women, who will form a high proportion of our training cohorts as is essential for equity in the sector. A gender equality perspective will be integrated across our best practices.

The majority of this local talent cannot afford training. We will grow a Restoration Leaders Scholarship Fund to overcome this financial barrier and promote national ownership of restoration efforts.