What are the most significant partnerships or collaborations that influenced the development of the Landscape Round Table?

The development of the Landscape Round Table (LRT) was not an isolated endeavor but a tapestry woven from strategic, high-impact collaborations. Its most significant influence stemmed from a foundational partnership with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework. This alignment provided the LRT with a globally recognized mandate and operational structure, transforming it from a conceptual forum into an actionable platform for integrated landscape management.

Concurrently, a pivotal collaboration with the World Resources Institute (WRI) infused the LRT with critical technical expertise in geospatial analysis and monitoring tools. This partnership enabled the transition from theoretical discussion to evidence-based policy advocacy and on-the-ground project assessment. Furthermore, alliances with major philanthropic bodies, notably the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, provided essential, flexible funding that allowed for long-term strategic planning and risk-taking in innovative pilot projects.

Perhaps the most transformative shift came from the LRT's deliberate engagement with multinational agribusiness and forestry corporations. Moving beyond traditional NGO-corporate antagonism, these partnerships focused on scalable supply chain sustainability. Collaborations with commodity roundtables for palm oil, soy, and timber created unprecedented channels to influence production practices across millions of hectares, embedding landscape-level conservation directly into commercial operations.

Finally, its synergy with regional governmental blocs, such as the African Union's CAADP program, granted the LRT political legitimacy and access to national policy dialogues. This partnership ensured that landscape approaches were integrated into continental agricultural and rural development agendas, bridging the gap between global standards and local implementation. Together, these diverse collaborations—spanning multilateral, technical, philanthropic, corporate, and governmental spheres—collectively provided the legitimacy, expertise, resources, market leverage, and policy access necessary for the Landscape Round Table to evolve into a influential force in sustainable development.