World Environment Day (5 June 2021) marked the official start of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, a global push to revive the natural world.
Tim Christophersen, UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Coordinator of the UN Decade remarked: “The launch has unleashed a global movement to restore Earth. Its greatest challenge now is turning commitments from governments, companies and individuals into on-the-ground action.”
“A decade may seem a long time, but we are really in a sprint to save the planet as we know it,” added Christophersen. “Generation Restoration’ has taken off and needs strong and consistent support in order to reach our shared goal: a planet where humanity has made peace with nature.”
Below are some landmarks from the opening six months of a drive to transform humankind’s relationship with the natural world.
A vision created
Earth needs help. The climate emergency, the loss of nature and deadly pollution threaten to destroy nature and eliminate up to one million species. But this degradation is not inevitable, say experts. Humanity has the power and the knowledge to reverse the harm and restore land and oceans – if it acts now. This is why the United Nations declared the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. By 2030, the world must nearly halve greenhouse gas emissions to prevent devastating climate change. Huge progress is needed to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, from eliminating poverty and fighting disease to safeguarding biodiversity.
“Healthy ecosystems are vital to meeting our climate and development goals,” notes Christophersen. “However, restoration needs to go hand-in-hand with efforts to decarbonize the economy.”
A movement launched
Since its launch, millions of people have already joined or engaged with #GenerationRestoration through its many channels, including concerts, performances, projects and social media campaigns. Young people with the most to lose from a degraded planet are leading the charge – more than half of the audience using the UN Decade’s online tools are below the age of 35.
“The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration has clearly touched a nerve. It calls for nothing less than to halt, reduce and reverse the degradation of land and oceans. The way this message has resonated shows that there are deeply held convictions across all continents and all parts of society that humanity must change its ways and rebuild nature,” observed Christophersen.
Partnerships built
As well as launching #GenerationRestoration, the UN Decade is harnessing the knowledge and capacity of many partner organizations. With UNEP and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization providing leadership, the UN Decade has signed up more than 90 partners drawn from the UN family, governments, businesses, development banks, non-governmental organizations, civil society groups and grassroots sustainability initiatives. Over the coming years, these partners are planning to scale up restoration projects.
Pledges gathered
Even amid the battle against COVID-19, governments have maintained or enhanced their pledges to restore degraded ecosystems. In all, countries around the world are committed to restoring nearly 1 billion hectares – an area larger than China. At the 2021 United Nations Climate Conference in Glasgow, more than 140 countries pledged to end deforestation by 2030. In Europe, officials are working on nature restoration targets that will be legally binding across the European Union. And dozens of countries have joined the call for a global commitment to protect at least 30 per cent of land and seas by 2030. Multilateral institutions, like the Global Environment Facility, philanthropists, including the Bezos Earth Fund, and companies, such as energy provider E.ON and beauty brand Dove, have also made significant pledges to initiatives such as the Great Green Wall across the Sahel and forest restoration in Sumatra.
However, relatively little is known about progress towards commitments or the quality of implementation. “Seeing this enthusiasm for restoration is fantastic. Over the coming years, global monitoring and quality-control efforts must improve to ensure that pledges are followed up on – and restoration done right”, Christophersen pointed out.
Ecosystems spotlighted
As well as forests and farmlands, rivers and lakes, the UN Decade is raising awareness and driving action for a wide range of ecosystems and landscapes whose benefits for people and planet are less well known. These include peatlands, mountains, rangelands and oceans.
The UN decade is helping to safeguard coastal areas by reviving seagrass meadows and mangroves that protect the lives and livelihoods of coastal communities. In the United Kingdom, for example, Project Seagrass has pioneered successful seagrass meadow restoration techniques and is expanding its project off the Welsh coast.
In the Andes, a community-based project across six countries is scaling up the protection and restoration of 1 million hectares of high-altitude tropical forests that feed water into the Amazon. Indigenous communities are at the forefront of the Acción Andina initiative, a partner in the UN Decade.
A partnership between UNEP, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and the Global Environment Facility is restoring degraded rangelands in West Asia. Starting with the revival of traditional rangeland management in Egypt and Jordan, the project has already begun to reverse soil erosion and regenerate native vegetation.
Peatlands make up only three per cent of the Earth, but store 30 per cent of its terrestrial carbon. This often-undervalued ecosystem received a boost at COP26 in November. For example, the Scottish government has committed to investing over 250 million British pounds to restore 250,000 hectares of degraded peatland by 2030.
Scientific guidance established
There is no quick fix for Earth’s ecosystems, say experts. Restoring the planet requires a huge effort from many actors working in vastly different circumstances and at scales ranging from back gardens and local parks to river basins and transboundary protected areas. Restoration requires planning, resources and patience and success is not guaranteed. To maximize the impact of the UN Decade, its expert partners have produced clear principles and a range of guidelines, handbooks and toolkits.
Hope kindled
Looking back at 2021, Christophersen summarized: “The UN Decade has made a strong start. Millions of people are getting involved and a strong framework is in place. But this 10-year effort will only realize the massive potential of ecosystem restoration for the climate, biodiversity and people if pledges are adequately financed and effectively implemented.”
