Ten initiatives from around the globe, which together aim to restore more than 68 million hectares of land and coastlines, have been recognized by the UN for their role in preventing and reversing the degradation of natural habitats across the planet.
These groundbreaking efforts were on Tuesday declared World Restoration Flagships at the UN Biodiversity Conference, COP15, in Montréal, Canada, and a virtual gala ceremony.
Spanning 23 countries from Central America to East Asia, they are preserving a combined area bigger than Myanmar, France or Somalia, and seek to create nearly 15 million sustainable jobs.
They were selected under the banner of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, which runs through 2030, also the deadline for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are the lead agencies for the overarching project.
UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen said transforming our relationship with nature is key to reversing the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste.
“These 10 inaugural World Restoration Flagships show that with political will, science, and collaboration across borders, we can achieve the goals of the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration and forge a more sustainable future not only for the planet but also for those of us who call it home,” she added.