Nature is making a comeback, but the world must move faster to meet restoration targets – UN Report

A UN report published today finds that 252 million hectares (ha) across 149 countries are being restored, creating more than one million green jobs – the largest documented global restoration effort to date.

To reach 2030 commitments, action must rapidly increase with a particular focus on freshwater, marine and coastal ecosystems, and annual restoration finance must more than quadruple. This investment could generate up to an estimated 32 million new jobs worldwide by 2030.

The report, Nature’s comeback – scaling ecosystem restoration for people and planet, is published midway through the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030). It provides the first-ever comprehensive global assessment of progress against commitments to restore around one billion hectares and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework target to ensure that by 2030, at least 30 per cent of degraded terrestrial, freshwater, marine, and coastal ecosystems are under effective restoration.

Co-published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the report was launched at a high-level event during the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP17). The event awarded five outstanding initiatives in China, Colombia, Ethiopia, Italy and the United States as UN World Restoration Flagships – highlighting successful restoration drives around the world.

“Today, we are witnessing the makings of one of the largest movements for nature in recorded history,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. “Yet, at the halfway point of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, we are still not restoring nature at the scale or speed required. By 2030, we must turn inspiring initiatives into systemwide action – shifting to restoration economies that protect what remains and restore what has been degraded.”

The global movement to restore nature extends beyond national programmes to cities, schools, businesses, and community initiatives. Since the start of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, its partnership network has grown to more than 300 organizations across all regions.

“Five years into the UN Decade, the message is clear: restoration works,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu. “The challenges are to make restoration an integral part of the sustainable management of land, water and natural resources, and to have a coherent transformation of agrifood systems. Healthy ecosystems are vital for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life for all, leaving no one behind.”

Ecosystem restoration is essential for food and water security, climate resilience, jobs, and well-being. Across all ecosystems, Asia accounts for 192.2 million ha of the total documented area under restoration, followed by Africa with 36.3 million ha, Europe with 9.1 million ha, North and Central America with 5.8 million ha, South America with 5.4 million ha and Oceania with 3.2 million ha. These differences do not rank restoration performance – they reflect the scale of restoration activity, regional land area, and capacities in monitoring and reporting.

Research indicates that restoring just 15 per cent of global priority areas could capture and store 30 per cent of carbon dioxide (CO₂) equivalent emissions since the industrial revolution and help avoid 60 per cent of species extinctions. Documented successes among UN World Restoration Flagships include the recovery of species ranging from mountain gorillas in East Africa and jaguars in Brazil, to snow leopards in Kyrgyzstan and Ganges River dolphins in India.

Restoration progress is variable across ecosystems and countries, according to the report. Restoration of terrestrial ecosystems has reached nearly half the global target to have 30 percent of degraded terrestrial ecosystems under restoration by 2030. China reports the largest terrestrial area under restoration (127.4 million ha), while substantial areas are also documented in Mongolia and Kazakhstan.

Progress is far more limited in freshwater, marine and coastal ecosystems, which are also degrading at the fastest rates. Only 11 million ha of freshwater ecosystems and 5.7 million ha of marine and coastal ecosystems across 62 and 46 countries, respectively, are documented as being under restoration. However, momentum is growing: the share of Parties reporting implemented wetland restoration or rehabilitation programmes has risen from 8 per cent to 54 per cent since 2022. The report cautions that the limited reporting for aquatic restoration may result in an underestimation.

Restoring nature for the resilience and wellbeing of people will require sustained political commitment and a more than fourfold increase in annual restoration finance, from US$64 billion to US$296 billion by 2030. The largest estimated annual investment needs are in agroforestry (US$87 billion), restorative reforestation (US$52 billion), peatland restoration (US$44 billion) and seagrass restoration (US$28 billion).

“We cannot expect to fix nature with one hand while we destroy it with the other one,” said Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat. “Governments must address the drivers of ecosystem degradation and invest in monitoring mechanisms to ensure the durability of the restoration movement to date.”

Beyond 2030, restoration must be sustained long enough to enable recovery of ecosystem integrity and biodiversity while delivering lasting benefits for communities. Secure tenure, meaningful participation and respect for the rights, knowledge, and leadership of Indigenous Peoples and other rights-holders are essential to durable restoration.

The report argues that the next phase of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration must move beyond individual projects towards “restoration economies” capable of sustaining ecological recovery, livelihoods, and long-term value at scale.

Data sets underpinning the report were compiled from government-endorsed data submitted through global reporting processes and data reported by restoration initiatives to FAO’s Framework for Ecosystem Restoration Monitoring (FERM).

About the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

The UN General Assembly has declared 2021–2030 a UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Led by the UN Environment Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, together with the support of partners, it is designed to prevent, halt, and reverse the loss and degradation of ecosystems worldwide. It aims to revive billions of hectares, covering terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. A global call to action, the UN Decade draws together political support, scientific research, and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration.

About the UN World Restoration Flagships

Countries have already promised to restore 1 billion hectares – an area larger than China – as part of their commitments to the Paris Agreement, Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the Land Degradation Neutrality targets and the Bonn Challenge. With the World Restoration Flagships, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is honouring some of the best examples of large-scale and long-term ecosystem restoration in any country or region, embodying the 10 Restoration Principles of the UN Decade. Progress of all World Restoration Flagships will be transparently monitored through the Framework for Ecosystem Restoration Monitoring, the UN Decade’s platform for keeping track of global restoration efforts.

About the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)

UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

 About the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

FAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. It aims to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active healthy lives. With over 194 Members, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide.