World Environment Day will kicked off the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. It’s a 10-year, global mission to revive billions of hectares of land – from forests to farmlands and from mountain tops to the depths of the sea. It means bringing back plants and animals from the brink of extinction.
We all depend on healthy ecosystems for our survival. Ecosystems are defined as the interaction between living organisms – plants, animals, people – with their surroundings. This includes nature, but also human-made systems such as cities or farms.
Ecosystem restoration is a global undertaking at massive scale. It means repairing billions of hectares of land – an area greater than China or the USA – so that people have access to food, clean water and jobs.
But it also includes the many small actions everyone can take, every day: growing trees, greening our cities, rewilding our gardens or cleaning up trash alongside rivers and coasts.
Restoring ecosystems carries substantial benefits for people. For every dollar invested in restoration, at least 7 to 30 dollars in returns for society can be expected. Restoration also creates jobs in rural areas where they are most needed.
Some countries have already invested in restoration as part of their strategies to bounce back from COVID-19. Others are turning to restoration to help them adapt to a climate that is already changing.
The official schedule of events can be found here:
https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/latest/official-event-schedule
To find more about the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, click here:
https://www.decadeonrestoration.org/
You can find more information on the United Nations’ website here: