Nations restore 252 million hectares of nature as UN calls for more funding

Countries across 149 nations have restored 252 million hectares of nature, according to a new United Nations report.

This progress contributes to a global commitment to protect and restore one billion hectares of nature by 2030. The report identifies Asia as the leader in these efforts, followed by Africa and Europe. China currently holds the largest restored land area at 127.4 million hectares. Other notable progress includes large restoration zones in Mongolia and Kazakhstan.

While land restoration is moving quickly, the report notes that progress is much slower for lakes, rivers, oceans, and coastal waters. Only 11 million hectares of freshwater ecosystems and 5.7 million hectares of marine and coastal ecosystems are currently being restored. The United Nations says countries must increase funding fourfold to reach the 2030 goals. The report estimates that annual budgets must rise from 64 billion to at least 296 billion by 2030.

These investments should focus on forests, peatlands, and seagrasses. Restoring 15 percent of priority areas could reduce species extinction by 60 percent. These efforts also create jobs, with the current restoration work providing more than one million green jobs. Inger Andersen, the director of the United Nations Environment Programme, stated that the world must shift toward restoration economies to meet targets.

The report was released during a biodiversity summit in Yerevan, Armenia, where over 200 delegations are meeting to reach an international agreement.