PARIS: Countries are restoring a record 252 million hectares of natural ecosystems, but global efforts remain far below the level needed to meet the target of restoring one billion hectares by 2030, according to a United Nations (UN) report published on Thursday.
“This report captures the largest documented restoration effort in history,” Doreen Robinson of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said at a press conference in Nairobi.
The restored area is roughly equivalent to the size of Argentina or Algeria. However, the report warns that the pace of restoration must triple to achieve the global target, while funding needs to increase substantially, particularly from the private sector.
Land restoration leads
Restoration initiatives have been recorded in 149 countries, with most efforts concentrated on land. Of the total area covered, 232 million hectares are terrestrial ecosystems, while 11 million hectares involve inland waters and 5.7 million hectares comprise marine and coastal ecosystems.
The report warned that restoration efforts in freshwater, marine and coastal environments remain far behind global ambitions, despite these ecosystems experiencing some of the highest rates of degradation.
The initiatives form part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, covering 2021–2030, and the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022. Both initiatives seek to reverse biodiversity loss and protect the planet’s natural ecosystems.
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The Kunming-Montreal framework includes a target to protect 30 per cent of the world’s terrestrial and marine areas by 2030.
Jobs and global progress
Beyond environmental benefits, restoration activities are also creating employment. The report estimates that the sector has generated one million jobs, with a target of increasing the number to 32 million by 2030.
China leads land restoration efforts by a considerable margin, with 137 million hectares, followed by Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Ethiopia.
The report was released during the COP17 biodiversity summit in Armenia, where countries are discussing international efforts to protect biodiversity and address the continuing degradation of ecosystems.
