Mixed bioenergy tree species planted in the tropics on degraded land could solve several international development challenges. Renewable energy is a key component of several U.N. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets. They include affordable and clean
energy (SDG 7), climate action (SDG 13) and life on land (SDG 15). Bioenergy agroforestry systems offer the potential to simultaneously restore land and grow energy while providing social, economic and environmental benefits to rural communities. Until now, the controversial practice of expanding plantations primarily for bioenergy purposes has been problematic. Monoculture energy crops such as oil palm for biodiesel production degrade land and compete with food production. Drawing from lessons learned in South and Southeast Asia, this session considers the opportunities and challenges posed by bioenergy and landscape restoration integration in the tropics.