Riyadh, 4 November 2024 – Initiatives to restore degraded ecosystems across all continents will be recognized by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) as new World Restoration Flagships next year. Winning initiatives will be announced and celebrated throughout 2025, making them eligible for communication, technical and financial support.
The announcement was made in the UN Convention to Combat Desertification 16th Conference of Parties in Riyadh (UNCCD COP16), as part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration to advance commitments by countries to restore 1 billion hectares – an area similar to the size of China.
The selection of the 2025 UN World Restoration Flagships follows a call made to member states ahead of the sixth session of the UN Environment Assembly. Over 200 submissions were received, covering all regions and ecosystems. For the first time, cities reviving their natural spaces were also represented. A committee of over 20 experts has now put together a longlist of 20 high-quality initiatives, from which new World Restoration Flagships will be selected, covering 31 countries. Together, these longlisted initiatives are restoring 13 million hectares by 2030 – an area bigger than Iceland, Malawi or South Korea.
Since 2022, 17 World Restoration Flagships have been recognized in 47 countries, reversing the degradation of 100 million hectares in forests, farmlands, grassland, savannahs, peatlands, rivers, lakes, oceans and coasts. These have been celebrated in a campaign that has reached hundreds of millions of people and been supported by Jason Momoa, Gisele Bundchen and Edward Norton.
“The World Restoration Flagships are more than an award that the UN gives out to successful countries and initiatives. They are our beacons of hope guiding us in reversing land degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change,” said Susan Gardner, Director of UNEP’s Ecosystems Division and UNEP Strategy Group member for the UN Decade. “Through indigenous knowledge, science, beauty and perseverance, ecosystem restoration truly brings the three Rio Conventions together – the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity,” Gardner continued.
Next year’s initiatives will be announced at key international gatherings such as the UN Ocean Conference, FAO’s 80th anniversary celebrations, and the seventh session of the UN Environment Assembly.
“We know that restoration works. For every dollar invested in ecosystem restoration, we can expect up to 30 dollars in economic returns. This includes healthier food through more productive soils, secure freshwater and benefits for farmers, herders, fisher folks and forest dwellers”, said Lifeng Li, Director of the Land and Water Division at FAO and FAO Strategy Group member for the UN Decade. “The work does not end with identifying World Restoration Flagships. We need to support and scale them, to get ahead in our race to restoration by 2030”, Li added.
The announcement comes at the halfway point of important global commitments: 2030 is the deadline for the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Targets include restoring 30% of degraded land and aquatic ecosystems, and making true on countries’ promises to restore 1 billion hectares.
For more information, please contact:
News and Media Unit, UN Environment Programme
Newsroom, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
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 climate agreement, the Aichi targets for biodiversity, the Land Degradation Neutrality targets and the Bonn Challenge. However, little is known about the progress or quality of this restoration. With the World Restoration Flagships, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is honouring 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.