Restoration efforts are working, but we need to move faster to meet targets, says U.N. report

A United Nations report released on Thursday reveals that 252 million hectares of land and sea across 149 countries are currently undergoing restoration, marking the largest documented global effort of its kind to date. While the initiative has generated more than one million green jobs, officials warn that current pace is insufficient to meet international targets set for 2030. To achieve these goals, annual restoration financing must increase by more than four times, rising from $64 billion to $296 billion. Such an investment surge is projected to create an additional 32 million jobs globally by the end of the decade. The document, titled "Nature's comeback, scaling ecosystem restoration for people and planet," was published midway through the U.N. Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, which spans from 2021 to 2030. It serves as the first comprehensive global assessment of progress toward two major commitments: restoring approximately one billion hectares of degraded land and ensuring that at least 30 percent of degraded terrestrial, freshwater, marine, and coastal ecosystems are under effective restoration. These objectives align with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted in 2022. The report was jointly issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the U.N. Environment Programme, and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. It was unveiled at a high-level event during the U.N. Biodiversity Conference, known as COP17, held in Yerevan, Armenia. Inger Andersen, executive director of the U.N. Environment Programme, stated that the world is witnessing the formation of one of the largest movements for nature in recorded history. However, she noted that at the halfway point of the decade, restoration is not occurring at the necessary scale or speed. Andersen emphasized the need to transform inspiring local initiatives into system-wide actions by 2030, shifting toward restoration economies that protect remaining habitats while repairing degraded ones. Dongyu Qu, director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization, agreed that the data confirms restoration works. He identified the primary challenge as integrating restoration into the sustainable management of land, water, and natural resources, alongside a coherent transformation of agri-food systems. Astrid Schomaker, executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat, warned against contradictory policies. She argued that governments cannot attempt to repair nature with one hand while destroying it with the other. Schomaker urged states to address the root causes of ecosystem degradation and to invest in robust monitoring mechanisms to ensure the longevity of current restoration efforts. Doreen Robinson, deputy director of the ecosystems division at the U.N. Environment Programme, described the findings as the largest restoration operation ever recorded during a press briefing in Nairobi. The geographic distribution of restoration activities varies significantly. Asia accounts for the majority of the documented area, with 192.2 million hectares under restoration. Africa follows with 36.3 million hectares, Europe with 9.1 million hectares, North and Central America with 5.8 million hectares, South America with 5.4 million hectares, and Oceania with 3.2 million hectares. Officials clarified that these figures reflect the scale of activity, regional land area, and monitoring capacities rather than a ranking of performance. China leads individual nations in terrestrial restoration, reporting 127.4 million hectares under care, with substantial areas also documented in Mongolia and Kazakhstan. Progress differs sharply between ecosystem types. Terrestrial restoration has reached nearly half of the global target to have 30 percent of degraded lands under restoration by 2030. Specifically, 232 million hectares of terrestrial areas are currently being restored. In contrast, aquatic ecosystems lag behind. Only 11 million hectares of inland waters and 5.7 million hectares of marine and coastal areas are under restoration. These figures remain far below established targets, particularly concerning because freshwater, marine, and coastal ecosystems are degrading at the fastest rates. The report stresses that restoration efforts must be sustained long enough to allow for genuine ecological recovery and to deliver lasting benefits to local communities. The economic and environmental stakes are high. Research cited in the report indicates that restoring just 15 percent of global priority areas could sequester 30 percent of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions produced since the Industrial Revolution. Furthermore, such measures would help prevent 60 percent of projected species extinctions. Documented successes within the U.N. World Restoration Flagship program illustrate these potential gains. Species recoveries include mountain gorillas in East Africa, jaguars in Brazil, snow leopards in Kyrgyzstan, and Ganges River dolphins in India. The report highlighted five outstanding initiatives in China, Colombia, Ethiopia, Italy, and the United States as examples of successful global restoration drives. The movement extends beyond national government programs to include cities, schools, businesses, and community groups. Since the launch of the U.N. Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, its partnership network has expanded to over 300 organizations across all regions. The report emphasizes that ecosystem restoration is fundamental to food and water security, climate resilience, employment, and overall well-being. Despite the positive momentum, the gap between current actions and 2030 targets requires immediate acceleration. The financial shortfall is critical, with private funding playing a key role in the required increase. The upcoming days of the COP17 conference will see delegates attempting to realign national commitments to close this gap before the decade concludes.