UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030
The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed 2021–2030 as the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, following a proposal for action by over 70 countries from all latitudes. The UN Decade positions the restoration of ecosystems as a major nature-based solution towards meeting a wide range of global development goals and national priorities. View the resolution here.
"Any threat to our environment is a threat to our health, our society, our ecosystems, our economy, our security, our well-being and our very survival."
Call for strong commitments
The UN Decade calls for strong commitments and efforts by countries, the international community, civil society, businesses, and others to achieve transformational ecosystem restoration. All ecosystems are addressed, including forests, grasslands, croplands, wetlands, savannahs, inland water, coastal and marine ecosystems, and even urban environments. On land, this involves the restoration of at least 350 million hectares of degraded landscapes by 2030, realizing up to US$9 trillion in net benefits and alleviating poverty in many rural communities. A target for coasts and oceans has yet to be set.
The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration aims to:
- Showcase successful government-led and private initiatives to halt ecosystem degradation, restore those ecosystems that have already been degraded
- Enhance knowledge exchange on what works and why (policy, economics and biophysical aspects), and how to implement restoration at scale
- Connect initiatives working in the same landscape, region, or topic, to increase efficiency and impact
- Create links between ecosystem restoration opportunities and initiatives with businesses interested in building a solid portfolio of sustainable production and impact investment
- Bring a wider spectrum of actors on board, especially from sectors that are not traditionally involved, by demonstrating the importance of ecosystem restoration to conservation as well as generation of social and economic benefits.
Healthy ecosystems key to human survival
We cannot realistically achieve the Sustainable Development Goals without addressing the threats to the very fabric of life on the planet. Climate change mitigation and adaptation, water, and food security, poverty reduction, economic growth, and biodiversity conservation all depend on thriving, well-functioning ecosystems.
