Restore land the size of China to meet climate goals

Land Restoration to meet climate goals by 2030. Learn more…

Friday, 18th June 2021

A new report from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) stated that if humans want to avoid the loss of biodiversity, urgently need to restore at least one billion in the next ten years Hectares of degraded land.

The report added that the amount of services used in the world is 1.6 times the amount of services that nature can provide. He noted that conservation efforts alone are not enough to prevent large-scale ecosystem collapse.

These ecosystems include croplands, forests, grasslands and savannas, mountains, peatlands, urban areas, freshwater, and oceans. Communities living on nearly 2 billion hectares of degraded land include some of the poorest and most marginalized communities in the world.

The report entitled "Restoring Power Generation: Restoring Ecosystems for Mankind, Nature and Climate" states:  Protecting healthy ecosystems is vital, but it is not enough. We are using an area equivalent to 1.6 piles of earth to maintain our current lifestyle, and the ecosystem cannot meet our needs. In short, we need more nature.

Also Read: Huge areas of regenerated forests traced by researchers across the globe since the year 2000.

The cost of global land restoration, excluding the cost of restoring marine ecosystems, is estimated to be at least US$200 billion per year by 2030. The report describes that for every US$1 invested in recovery, economic gains of up to US$30 will be generated.

Ecosystem restoration is the process of preventing and reversing degradation, resulting in cleaner air and water, alleviating extreme weather, improving human health, and restoring biodiversity, including better plant pollination.

The report added that degradation has affected the well-being of approximately 3.2 billion people, accounting for 40% of the world’s population. Every year, we lose ecosystem services whose value exceeds 10% of our global economic output.

"The good news is that nature has an extraordinary ability to renew. Although some ecosystems are approaching a tipping point where they cannot be restored, if we stop destroying and restore their health, biodiversity, and productivity, many other ecosystems may flourish again Development," the report said.

He also emphasized the importance of restoring productive ecosystems to support food security. The report pointed out: through the restoration of agriculture and forestry, it is possible to increase the food security of 1.3 billion people. Restoring marine fish stocks to achieve maximum sustainable production can increase fish production by 16.5 million tons, with an annual output value of US$32 billion.

Actions to prevent, stop and reverse degradation can produce one-third of the global temperature reduction required by 2030.

"This report explains why we should all support global recovery efforts. It uses the latest scientific evidence to illustrate the key role played by ecosystems ranging from forests and farmlands to rivers and oceans, and maps the damage caused by mismanagement of the land, "said Inge Anderson, Executive Director of the Program. United Nations Environment Committee The Organization's Director-General for Food and Agriculture, Qu Dongyu, wrote in the foreword to the report.

The report was released at the beginning of the United Nations Decade for Ecosystem Restoration 2021- 2030.

FAO and UNEP also launched the United Nations Decade "Digital Center", which includes the "Ecosystem Restoration Monitoring Framework."

This framework allows countries and communities to measure the progress of environmental projects. restoration in critical ecosystems and helps build ownership and confidence in restoration efforts.

The News Talkie Bureau

Source:

downtoearth.org