Staring down from the side of a 12-storey apartment block, Mother Nature fixes a wary gaze on you as she cradles the creatures of the Earth in her arms. Her message: protect and restore the natural world now, before it is too late.
The eye-catching mural in Brussels kicks off a 10-year initiative led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) with artists around the world to raise awareness of climate change and environmental destruction and inspire people to take action to heal the planet.
After decades of excessive extraction of natural resources and habitat, human actions threaten more species with global extinction now than ever before. Out of an estimated 8.1 million plant and animal species, 1 million are at risk of extinction – many within decades. The loss of biodiversity is compounded by the other planetary crises of climate change and pollution.
“This Ecosystem Restoration mural reminds us in the middle of Belgium’s capital city and the heart of Europe, of the crucial role of nature and the urgent need to conserve, restore and sustainably use nature and its components,” said Zakia Khattabi, Belgium’s Minister of Climate, Environment, Sustainable Development and Green Deal.
The mural is the first of 50 to be created across the globe as part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030. Led by UNEP and the Food and Agriculture Organization, the UN Decade is designed to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide. It will draw together political support, scientific research and financial resources to scale up restoration with the goal of reviving millions of hectares of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
This mural reminds us of the urgent need to conserve, restore and sustainably use nature.
The campaign is curated by Street Art for Mankind, a non-profit that uses art to promote human rights and social change. This approach is at the heart of the UN Decade’s appeal to people everywhere, including youth and urbanites, to build a #generationrestoration that can revive the planet’s critical ecosystems.
The 40-meter mural in Brussels, high above a fitness studio and a language school on the busy Avenue Louise, was painted by Lula Goce, a Spanish artist. Goce had to overcome a fear of heights to spend a week at the end of a telescopic lift arm spraying coloured paint onto the brown bricks.
The design was originally inspired by UN75, a global conversation initiated by the UN in 2020 for its 75th anniversary, where 1.5 million people spoke out about issues that mattered most to them. Protecting the environment came out as the top priority.
Goce says the mural is a metaphor of Mother Nature taking care of the environment and trying to preserve a space for all the animals in the herd. She says the lady is watching us, as we have the responsibility to protect it.
Goce, who grew up by the sea, said it was important for urban residents to recognize that they are part of nature to preserve the spaces for other animals and ourselves, for our kids, for the future.
As well as the restoration murals, Street Art for Mankind will work with artists to support the UN Decade by creating five major landmark initiatives. The details remain under wraps, except for one: the first landmark will be created in Greenland.
Streetart for Mankind’s co-founder Audrey Decker is already looking ahead to coming projects. She says, “The City of Brussels holds a central part in the European Union and its actions. It made a lot of sense for us to start our mural series here, in the heart of Brussels. Next stop, Houston, the energy capital of the world!”
Explore UNEP’s work on preserving ecosystems, including; forests; coastlines, peatlands and coral reefs.
