Published on: 2026-10-29
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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October 29, 2026 Climate and Environment
Today, 252 million hectares of ecosystems are being restored worldwide in 149 countries – the largest scale of such activity ever documented. These efforts have led to the creation of more than 1 million ‘green’ jobs. These data are presented in a UN report, released on Thursday in Yerevan at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP-17). However, to meet commitments by 2030, the pace needs to be sharply accelerated, and annual funding increased more than fourfold.
The report was prepared by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). It was published in the middle of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030) and became the first comprehensive assessment of how countries are fulfilling the commitment to restore about one billion hectares of degraded land. The authors also assessed the progress towards achieving the goal of the Kunming-Montreal global biodiversity framework: by 2030, at least 30 percent of degraded terrestrial, freshwater, marine, and coastal ecosystems should be effectively restored.
“Five years after the start of the UN Decade, the conclusion is clear: restoration works,” said FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu.
“Today we are witnessing the emergence of one of the largest movements for nature conservation in history,” noted UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen. “But halfway through the Decade, we are still restoring nature insufficiently and not fast enough.”
According to research, restoring just 15 percent of the world’s priority areas would absorb 30 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions accumulated since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and prevent 60 percent of species extinctions.
At the UN Climate Summit 17 special event, five initiatives in China, Colombia, Ethiopia, Italy, and the United States were also announced, which received flagship project status for ecosystem restoration by the United Nations. Among the successes of such projects are the revival of mountain gorilla populations in East Africa, jaguars in Brazil, snow leopards in Kyrgyzstan, and Ganges dolphins in India.
Land is ahead of water
The restoration of terrestrial ecosystems has already covered nearly half the way to the global target for 2030. Most of these areas are in China – 127.4 million hectares. Significant areas are also being restored in Mongolia and Kazakhstan. Overall, Asia accounts for 192.2 million hectares, Africa – 36.3 million, and Europe – 9.1 million.
Aquatic ecosystems recover more slowly, although it is freshwater, marine, and coastal ecosystems that degrade the fastest. Freshwater ecosystems are restored over only 11 million hectares in 62 countries, marine and coastal ecosystems over 5.7 million hectares in 46 countries. Nevertheless, the situation is changing: since 2022, the share of countries reporting wetland restoration programs has increased from 8 to 54 percent. The authors note that due to incomplete reporting, the actual scale of aquatic ecosystem restoration may be higher.
Long-term investments are necessary
To ensure that nature restoration brings long-term benefits to people, annual funding needs to be increased more than fourfold by 2030 – from $64 billion to $296 billion. The most funds are required for agroforestry ($87 billion per year), forest restoration ($52 billion), peatland restoration ($44 billion), and seagrass restoration ($28 billion). Such investments will also pay off socially: by 2030, they could create up to 32 million new jobs worldwide.
According to the Executive Secretary of the CBD, Astrid Schomaker, one cannot restore nature with one hand while continuing to destroy it with the other. She urged governments to address the causes of ecosystem degradation and invest in monitoring to ensure that the achieved results are long-lasting.
The authors of the report emphasize that ecosystem restoration must continue beyond 2030. For this, guarantees of land rights, real participation of local populations, as well as respect for the rights, knowledge, and leadership role of indigenous peoples are important. The next phase of the UN Decade should go beyond individual projects and lead to the formation of “restoration economies” capable, in the long term, of ensuring both the revival of nature and the means of livelihood for people.
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