Title: Stakeholder perceptions towards donor-funded land restoration projects in Lesotho: the case of Quthing district

Land degradation is a global challenge and Lesotho is not immune from this problem. This problem, directly and indirectly, impacts the three important pillars of sustainable development: environmental, social, and economic aspects. Earlier research has shown that human activities are the most important drivers of degradation in Lesotho. Furthermore, poor involvement of local people in land restoration projects has been identified as a weakness leading to the failure of many land restoration initiatives in the country since 1970, when various donor agencies started supporting projects to curb land degradation. This study focused on capturing the perceptions of stakeholders involved in land restoration projects supported by donor agencies in Lesotho. The aim was to enhance the success of land restoration initiatives in the country. Stakeholders in the Quthing district were interviewed to identify gaps in current stakeholder engagement and management processes in donor-funded land restoration projects (DFLRPs). The findings indicate that the five most serious gaps in the processes of stakeholder engagement and management are poor communication, centralised power at the national level, lack of transparency, high discrimination amongst stakeholders, and lack of capacity, especially at the community level. Development and adherence to the DFLRPs legal and guiding frameworks together with effective communication amongst stakeholders were found to be the most important strategies to enhance effectiveness and efficiency of stakeholder engagement and management processes.