From restoring forests to river basins, seven conservation initiatives across continents recognised by UN

February 14, 2024
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN Topics

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From restoring forests to river basins, seven conservation initiatives across continents recognised by UN

Subject: Environment

Section: International Conventions

Context:

The United Nations has named seven initiatives from Africa, Latin America, the Mediterranean, and Southeast Asia as World Restoration Flagships.
These projects aim to revive and preserve ecosystems on the brink of degradation due to wildfires, drought, deforestation, and pollution.

Details:

The initiatives are expected to restore approximately 40 million hectares and create about 500,000 jobs.
Awarded by the UNEP and FAO, these initiatives will receive technical and financial support from the UN.
The announcement was made ahead of the 6th session of the UN Environment Assembly, scheduled for February 26-March 1, 2024, at the UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.
Part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration: These awards are part of a broader campaign led by UNEP and FAO to prevent, halt, and reverse ecosystem degradation globally.
- The initiatives support global commitments to restore one billion hectares, an area larger than China.

The seven projects are:

Project	Description
The Restoring Mediterranean Forests Initiative	It involves Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, and Türkiye, adopting an innovative approach to protect and restore natural habitats and vulnerable ecosystems. It has successfully led to the restoration of approximately two million hectares of forests.
The Living Indus initiative	Launched in response to the 2022 climate change-induced floods in Pakistan, aims to restore 25 million hectares of the Indus River basin by 2030, covering 30% of Pakistan’s surface area. Officially launched at the 27th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Sharm el-Sheikh, the initiative includes 25 high-impact interventions targeting policymakers, practitioners, and civil society. It recognizes the Indus River as a living entity with rights, a concept used to protect rivers globally. The initiative involves international collaboration with countries including Australia, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, India, New Zealand, Peru, and Sri Lanka.
The Acción Andina initiative	Spearheaded by the Peruvian conservation non-profit ECOAN, is dedicated to protecting and restoring one million hectares of forest in the Andes. Engaging around 25,000 people from remote Andean communities, the movement aims to restore 5,000 hectares and protect over 11,000 hectares of Andean forests. By 2030, participants are expected to benefit in various ways, including access to medicine, solar panels, clean-burning clay stoves, improved grazing management, sustainable agriculture, microbusiness, and ecotourism management of Indigenous cultures. Additionally, the initiative focuses on securing land titles for local communities to safeguard the forests against mining, timber exploitation, and other degradation drivers, as highlighted by UN agencies.
The Sri Lanka Mangrove Regeneration initiative	It is a collaborative, science-driven effort led by local communities aimed at restoring the natural balance of ecosystems. Since its inception in 2015, the program has successfully restored 500 hectares of mangroves. Looking ahead, there are plans to restore an additional 10,000 hectares by 2030, which is expected to benefit 5,000 households and create over 4,000 new jobs, as outlined in a UN statement.
The Terai Arc Landscape initiative	Focuses on restoring the forests within critical corridors of the Terai Arc Landscape through collaboration with local communities, citizen scientists, community-based anti-poaching units, and forest guards. According to the UN, this initiative has led to the restoration of 66,800 hectares of Nepal’s forests, improving the livelihoods of approximately 500,000 households. Additionally, the initiative has played a significant role in supporting the tiger population in the landscape shared by India and Nepal, which has increased to 1,174, more than doubling from its lowest count since the program’s inception in 2001. The efforts are set to continue, with plans to restore almost 350,000 hectares by 2030.
The Regreening Africa initiative	It aims to significantly impact over 600,000 households by enhancing carbon storage, increasing crop and grass yields, improving soil resilience to prevent floods, and naturally enriching the soil with fixed nitrogen, acting as a natural fertiliser.
The Growing Forests in Africa’s Drylands initiative	It seeks to increase the area of restored hectares from 41,000 today to 229,000 by 2030. African farmers play a crucial role in this project, planting tens of millions of trees annually. Additionally, the initiative aims to support further development through the creation of 230,000 jobs, as highlighted by the intergovernmental bodies.

Source: DTE