Mapping Social Cohesion in Restoration Landscapes: Evidence from Western Rwanda

Social cohesion is increasingly recognized as essential for effective ecosystem restoration, yet it remains underexplored in practice. We mapped social relationships in restoration landscapes of WesternRwanda. Using Net-Map-based interviews and participatory work-shops, we evaluated horizontal and vertical cohesion. Restorationapproaches strengthened trust, collaboration, and communicationwithin communities, key drivers of knowledge exchange and collective action, offering scalable models for advancing broader restorationinitiatives in Rwanda and similar contexts. We also found weak community–government relationships driven by top-down governance,underscoring the need for inclusive, equitable restoration policies. Forsuch inclusion to be meaningful, communities must be empoweredto actively influence restoration decisions, which would likely fostersustainable, long-term outcomes. This study underscores the value ofcombining quantitative and narrative methods when using Net-Map to understand relationship quality and power dynamics among actorsin socioecological restoration networks.