Commonland

Commonland is an international non-profit organization dedicated to restoring degraded landscapes and regenerating the Earth. Founded in 2013 by ecologist Willem Ferwerda in partnership with Wijnand Pon of the COmON Foundation, the organization operates with a bold yet simple vision: to bring people together to heal damaged ecosystems and create sustainable futures for communities, nature, and business.

The organization has developed the innovative 4 Returns Framework, a holistic approach that drives sustainable land management by delivering four essential returns: inspiration, social capital, natural capital, and financial capital. This framework guides their work across 20+ countries, supporting local people and organizations in large-scale, long-term landscape restoration efforts that typically span approximately 20 years or one generation to complete.

Commonland's mission is ambitious: to restore 100 million hectares of degraded landscapes by 2040. They achieve this by facilitating landscape restoration from the ground up, working with a diverse network of farmers, scientists, finance specialists, storytellers, conservationists, facilitators, policy experts, and ambassadors. The organization partners with foundations, investors, philanthropists, and local communities to develop landscape restoration projects based on sound business cases, involving investors, companies, and entrepreneurs in long-term restoration efforts. Through collaborative Learning and Social Lab networks, Commonland strengthens leadership, enhances enabling conditions, and addresses systemic barriers to holistic landscape restoration and regeneration.