What is the 'UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration'? How does it balance ecological goals with emerging socio-economic needs like food security and development?

What is the 'UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration'?

The 'UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration' (2021-2030) is a global movement aimed at scaling up restoration efforts across all ecosystems. Proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in March 2019 (Resolution 73/284) and launched in June 2021, it is a ten-year framework designed to foster a global restoration movement and promote a sustainable future. The Decade's vision is "A world where — for the health & wellbeing of all life on Earth & that of future generations — we have restored the relationship between humans & nature, by increasing the area of healthy ecosystems, & by putting a stop to their loss, fragmentation & degradation."

Key Objectives of the UN Decade:

• Prevent, Halt, and Reverse Degradation: To actively stop the destruction of ecosystems and bring back those that have been damaged.
• Build a Global Movement: To mobilize political will, financial support, and participation from governments, private sector, civil society, and individuals.
• Enhance Knowledge and Capacity: To improve understanding of restoration benefits and apply this knowledge in policy, planning, and education.
• Achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): To contribute significantly to achieving various SDGs, particularly those related to poverty, hunger, health, water, climate action, life on land, and life below water.
• Catalyse Action: To encourage countries to fulfill existing commitments, such as the Bonn Challenge, which aims to restore 350 million hectares of degraded landscapes by 2030.

Balancing Ecological Goals with Socio-Economic Needs

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is designed with a holistic understanding that ecological health is intrinsically linked to human well-being. It seeks to achieve a delicate balance, where environmental restoration simultaneously addresses pressing socio-economic needs like food security and development. This is achieved through a Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) approach that recognizes the co-benefits of healthy ecosystems.

1. Enhancing Food Security:

Ecosystem restoration directly contributes to food security by bolstering the natural systems that underpin agricultural production and food availability.

• Soil Health and Fertility: Restoring degraded agricultural lands through practices like agroforestry, cover cropping, and minimal tillage improves soil structure, nutrient cycling, and water retention, leading to increased crop yields and reduced reliance on synthetic fertilizers. Soil erosion affects about one-fifth of farmlands worldwide and has increased by 2.5% between 2001 and 2012. Restoration efforts can reverse this.
• Water Availability and Quality: Reforestation of watersheds, restoration of wetlands, and sustainable management of riparian zones enhance water infiltration, reduce runoff, prevent soil erosion, and improve water quality, crucial for irrigation and drinking. Freshwater ecosystems supply food and water to billions.
• Pollination Services: Restoring natural habitats adjacent to farmlands increases pollinator populations (e.g., bees, butterflies), which are vital for the reproduction of over 75% of global food crop types. Up to $577 billion in annual global crop production is at risk from pollinator loss.
• Fisheries and Aquaculture: Restoration of coastal ecosystems like mangroves, coral reefs, and seagrass beds provides critical breeding grounds and nurseries for fish and shellfish, supporting commercial fisheries and the livelihoods of millions. Marine and freshwater resources support the livelihoods of 8% of the world's population.
• Diversification of Food Sources: Promoting biodiversity in agricultural landscapes and restoring natural areas can lead to a wider variety of food sources, increasing resilience against pests, diseases, and climate change impacts.

2. Fostering Sustainable Development:

Ecosystem restoration is a powerful tool for achieving sustainable development, creating economic opportunities, and building resilient communities.

• Economic Benefits and Job Creation: Investments in restoration projects generate jobs in sectors like forestry, conservation, ecotourism, and sustainable agriculture. Every $1 invested in ecosystem restoration can yield $3–$30 in economic benefits. For instance, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative created over 5,000 jobs.
• Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation: Restored ecosystems, particularly forests, wetlands, and oceans, act as significant carbon sinks, absorbing greenhouse gases. They also enhance resilience to climate change impacts by providing natural defenses against floods, droughts, and extreme weather events.
• Poverty Alleviation: By enhancing ecosystem services and creating sustainable livelihoods, restoration can lift rural communities out of poverty, particularly those heavily reliant on natural resources. Achieving the Bonn Challenge objective could realize up to $9 trillion in net benefits and alleviate poverty.
• Improved Health and Well-being: Healthy ecosystems provide clean air and water, regulate disease, and offer recreational and cultural benefits, contributing to overall human health and well-being. Ecosystem changes influence the abundance of human pathogens and the risk of new diseases.
• Indigenous and Local Communities: The Decade emphasizes the involvement and empowerment of indigenous peoples and local communities, whose traditional knowledge is invaluable for effective restoration and who often benefit directly from healthy ecosystems.

The balance is struck by integrating restoration into broader development planning, recognizing that human prosperity is intertwined with ecological health. This means moving beyond a purely conservationist approach to one that actively engages communities in restoring and managing their local environments for mutual benefit.

Ecological Goal	Socio-economic Benefit	Mechanism of Balance
Biodiversity Conservation	Sustainable Livelihoods, Eco-tourism	Restoring diverse habitats supports species survival, which in turn attracts tourism and provides sustainable harvesting opportunities for local communities.
Carbon Sequestration	Climate Resilience, Green Jobs	Reforestation and wetland restoration absorb CO2, mitigating climate change, while also creating employment in planting, monitoring, and managing these ecosystems.
Water Quality & Availability	Food Security (Irrigation), Public Health	Restoring watersheds and natural filters (e.g., wetlands) ensures clean water for agriculture and human consumption, reducing water-borne diseases and improving crop yields.
Soil Health & Erosion Control	Agricultural Productivity, Disaster Risk Reduction	Healthy soils reduce erosion, leading to higher crop yields and protecting infrastructure from landslides and floods, thus safeguarding food production and property.