GRÓ Land Restoration Training Programme under the auspices of UNESCO

22/09/2026

Our 2026 fellows are already having a positive impact. We build important capacity for a better future🌏🌱

03/09/2026

Successful GRÓ LRT side event at UNCCD COP17

Last week, GRÓ Land Restoration Training Programme and the Green Gold–Mongolian Rangeland Research Centre co-hosted the side event Partners in Restoration: Iceland and Mongolia for Resilient Social-Ecological Landscapes at UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

The programme included three keynote presentations by Dr Burmaa Dashbal, Dr Sumjidmaa Sainnemekh, Dr Odonchimeg Binderiya and Altantsetseg Balt. Drawing on their knowledge and practical experience, the speakers explored the role of civil society, the importance of strengthening the scientific foundations of restoration programmes, and experiences from science-based, community-based land restoration in Mongolia.

The presentations were followed by a panel discussion with Brandon Bestelmeyer, Dul Baatar and Salome Hallfreðsdóttir. The discussion focused on how training, knowledge exchange, monitoring, local participation and institutional cooperation can contribute to lasting restoration outcomes for ecosystems and the people who depend on them.

The event brought together policymakers, researchers, practitioners, former GRÓ LRT fellows and other COP17 delegates. The strong presence of former fellows was especially meaningful and demonstrated how the knowledge, relationships and professional networks developed through GRÓ LRT continue to grow and contribute to restoration action after fellows return home.

Our sincere thanks to the Green Gold–Mongolian Rangeland Research Centre for the excellent collaboration, and to Iceland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Ministry of the Environment, Energy and Climate for their support and participation. We also thank all speakers, panellists, former fellows, partners and participants who contributed to the success of the event.

Restoration becomes lasting when knowledge is transformed into local capacity and practical action.

02/09/2026

Last Thursday, we said goodbye to the GRÓ LRT Class of 2026 as 22 fellows from 11 countries celebrated the completion of their six-month journey in Iceland.

Over the past six months, they have learned about ecological restoration and sustainable land management, shared experiences and perspectives from their home countries, explored Iceland, and perhaps most importantly, built friendships and connections that will reach far beyond their time here.

In her opening remarks, Acting Director Guðrún Guðjónsdóttir reminded the fellows that graduation is not the end, but the beginning of the next part of their journey. And as Neba Estherbel Bih from Cameroon so beautifully expressed in her speech on behalf of the fellows, while the knowledge and skills they have gained are important, it is the people they have met along the way that may stay with them the longest.

Now they return home, to different countries, communities and challenges — carrying new knowledge, new perspectives and a network of friends and colleagues from across Africa and Asia.

We are incredibly proud of the Class of 2026 and grateful for the time we have shared. We will miss having you around, but we look forward to seeing all that you will do next ❤️

Congratulations, Class of 2026, and remember, this is not the end. This is the beginning.

Read more on our website: https://www.grocentre.is/lrt/media-lrt/news/gro-land-restoration-training-programme-graduates-22-fellows-from-11-countries

21/08/2026

Guðrún Guðjónsdóttir, acting director of GRÓ LRT attending her first meeting in Mongolia at the General Authority for Land Administration, Geodesy and Cartography (GALAGC)

20/08/2026

The 2026 GRÓ LRT fellows delivered their final project presentations this week and now they only have few days left in Iceland.

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This Monday and Tuesday, the 2026 GRÓ LRT fellows presented their final projects during the Project Seminar at Keldnaholt. The seminar is an important

19/08/2026

GRÓ LRT Side Event at UNCCD COP17 Highlights Iceland–Mongolia Cooperation in Restoration


GRÓ LRT will host the side event “Partners in Restoration: Iceland and Mongolia for Resilient Socio-Ecological Landscapes” at UNCCD COP17, focusing on long-standing cooperation between Iceland and Mongolia in land restoration and sustainable land management.

For decades, GRÓ LRT has supported professional networks, scientific knowledge exchange and local capacity development in Mongolia. The event will bring together alumni, experts, policymakers and practitioners to discuss how restoration knowledge can be turned into practical action.

Through alumni stories, expert insights and panel discussion, the event will explore how to build local restoration capacity, apply science-based approaches to planning and monitoring, and connect research, policy and practice. A particular focus will be placed on rangeland restoration in Mongolia, pastoral livelihoods and the role of training and collaboration in supporting long-term ecosystem recovery.

The event will highlight that restoration is not only about landscapes, but also about people, institutions and knowledge. Strong partnerships, local ownership and science-based decision-making are essential for restoring degraded land and building resilient socio-ecological landscapes.

10/08/2026

A good day in Þórsmörk

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The 2026 GRÓ LRT fellows spent last Friday travelling from Reykjavík to Þórsmörk and stopping at some memorable places along the way.

08/07/2026

We are very proud to celebrate our former fellow, Professor Alemayehu, who was promoted to Professor of Climate Change and Environmental Science in June.

Professor Alemayehu completed advanced training in Land Degradation Assessment and Land Restoration in Iceland in 2010, and has since built an impressive academic and research career at Hawassa University.

With 55 scientific papers, 52 supervised MSc theses, 8 ongoing PhD projects, and major contributions to land and water management, climate resilience, and landscape restoration, this promotion is very well deserved.

We are absolutely delighted, and proud to say: once a fellow, always part of the GRÓ LRT family.

Congratulations, Professor Alemayehu!

Brief Biography of Professor Alemayehu Muluneh Bitew
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June 18, 2026

Professor Alemayehu Muluneh Bitew, one of the nine scholars who were promoted to full professorship on June 15, 2026 is an outstanding academician, researcher and leader at the Institute of Technology, Hawassa University.

Prof. Alemayehu's academic journey began with earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Engineering and Mechanization with Distinction from Debub University (Now Hawassa university) in 2003; followed by MSc in International Land and Water Management from Wageningen University, the Netherlands, in 2006, and his PhD in Environmental Sciences in 2015 from Wageningen University again.

He also completed advanced training and research in Land Degradation Assessment and Land Restoration in 2010, through the United Nations University Fellowship at the Agricultural University of Iceland, Reykjavík.

Professor Alemayehu has been serving in various academic, research, and leadership capacities at IOT, Hawassa universitqy for the past two decades. In addition to teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses in Climate Science, Hydrology, Land and Watershed Management, he supervised supervised 52 MSc theses and is currently supervising 8 PhD research projects.

Professor Alemayehu's research focuses on investigating how interactions between regional climate change and local anthropogenic land-use modifications influence hydrological processes, accelerate land degradation, and threaten regional food security, while developing and evaluating locally appropriate adaptation and management strategies. He has published 55 scientific papers and 8 conference proceedings.

Professor Alemayehu has served as Principal Researcher and Coordinator of 20 collaborative projects involving applied research, research-based consultancy, and community service works in partnership with national and international organizations including the International Foundation for Science, Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy, and the Ethiopian Water Technology Institute. His work has contributed to agricultural water management, landscape restoration, drought resilience, sustainable land and water management, and irrigation development across Sidama, Southwest Ethiopia, Oromia, and Central Ethiopia regions.
Hawassa University honoured Prof. Alemayehu with the “Top Researcher” Award at the Institute of Technology in recognition of his outstanding contributions, and now he is promoted to a Professor of Climate Change and Environmental Science.

Congratulations Professor Alemayehu!

Hawassa University
Ever to Excel!

06/07/2026

GRÓ Annual Report for 2025 is out!

The year 2025 was an active and productive one for GRÓ—Centre for Capacity Development, Sustainability and Societal Change, and the four training pr

02/07/2026

Mud, birds and wetland wisdom, all in a day’s work for the 2026 GRÓ LRT fellows.

This week, the group travelled to South Iceland with Professor Hlynur Óskarsson to explore restored wetlands.

The excursion included visits to Skálholt, Sogn and Flói Nature Reserve, where fellows learned about wetland degradation, rewetting, vegetation recovery and the long-term benefits of restoration.

A great reminder that healthy wetlands are full of life, and that good restoration work usually comes with wet boots.

More: https://www.grocentre.is/lrt/media-lrt/news/gro-lrt-fellows-explore-restored-wetlands-in-south-iceland