UNEP is assisting 108 countries as they conserve, sustainably manage and restore their ecosystems – protecting wildlife and supporting Indigenous Peoples, who are the world’s major stewards of biodiversity. UNEP also supports local communities and is enlisting the private sector in biodiversity conservation action. Thanks to UNEP’s interventions, over 1.6 million hectares of terrestrial and marine areas are under improved management. Nearly 900,000 people are expected to benefit from UNEP’s work on landscapes.

UNEP also supported the conservation and restoration of 2.3 million hectares of marine environments, including mangroves, coral reefs and seagrass meadows. That work spanned 53 countries and took place in some of the world’s most sensitive bodies of water, including the Red Sea, Gulf of Mexico and the South Pacific Ocean. As one example, UNEP supported the Thai Ministry of Environment as it established a 900-hectare marine safe haven that protects a threatened species of crab crucial to local economies. 

UNEP and the African Development Bank teamed up to produce the Natural Capital Atlas of Africa. The report catalogued the value of the continent’s soil, water, minerals and other natural resources, supporting policymakers to make more informed development decisions. The atlas followed a request from African governments for strategies that make the continent’s natural capital sustainable. It was designed to contribute to Agenda 2063, Africa’s blueprint for becoming a global economic powerhouse. 

During a star-studded ceremony at UNEA-6, UNEP and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN recognized seven World Restoration Flagships under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. The efforts, from Pakistan to Peru, are expected to restore 40 million hectares and create 500,000 jobs.