Collaborative landscape initiatives demonstrate enormous potential to mobilize stakeholders across sectors, supporting them to work together on shared objectives. This meets a wide range of human needs, economic goals and ecosystem objectives. However, implementing these partnerships is challenging. Perspectives, values and ways of working differ greatly among partners; in many cases there is a legacy of misunderstanding and distrust. Strategies and tools are needed to overcome the resulting tendency for stalemate and conflict.

To support these landscape initiatives, Tropenbos International and EcoAgriculture Partners jointly developed in 2018 the Landscape Assessment of Financial Flows (LAFF) methodology. This practical two-phase approach helps stakeholders identify local sources of finance for new investment ideas, determine which current financial flows are most in need of transformation, and better understand the elements of a landscape’s financial context.

Between November 2018 and August 2019, pilot projects were implemented in Indonesia and Ghana. In this publication lessons learned from the pilots are presented and the following questions are addressed:

• does the LAFF methodology meet its objectives?
• what aspects of the methodology could be improved?
• are the results of LAFF implementation useful for the development of strategies that will lead to greater positive impacts by new or existing investments on the landscape objectives? 

In 2018 to support collaborative landscape initiatives, Tropenbos International and EcoAgriculture Partners partnered to develop the Landscape Assessment of Financial Flows (LAFF) methodology. This practical two–phase approach helps stakeholders identify local sources of finance for new investment ideas, [to] find the current financial flows that are most in need of transformation, and better understand the elements of a landscape’s financial context that require support. This report summarizes the results of a pilot application of both phases of LAFF in the Gunung Tarak Landscape in Indonesia from September 2018 until July 2019 and discusses the possible implications for the design of an integrated landscape finance strategy in that landscape. 

In 2018 to support collaborative landscape initiatives, Tropenbos International and EcoAgriculture Partners partnered to develop the Landscape Assessment of Financial Flows (LAFF) methodology. This practical two–phase approach helps stakeholders identify local sources of finance for new investment ideas, [to] find the current financial flows that are most in need of transformation, and better understand the elements of a landscape’s financial context that require support. This report summarizes the results of a pilot application of both phases of LAFF in the Juabeso–Bia and Sefwi–Wiawso (JBSW) landscape in Ghana and discusses the possible implications for the design of an integrated landscape finance strategy in that landscape.