The United Nations (UN) has announced four new World Restoration Flagships under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, recognizing large-scale initiatives that restore degraded ecosystems, support food security, and improve community livelihoods. The awards, presented at a high-level side event during the World Food Forum in Rome ahead of World Food Day, are led by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). These Flagships highlight ambitious projects aimed at halting land degradation and promoting resilient agrifood systems, contributing to the global goal of restoring one billion hectares of land.
The four new World Restoration Flagships span 18 countries across four continents and have already restored more than 500,000 hectares, with plans to restore an additional 500,000 hectares of forests, farmlands, grasslands, coastal, and freshwater ecosystems by the end of the decade. These initiatives showcase how large-scale ecosystem restoration can deliver multiple benefits, including food security, livelihoods, biodiversity conservation, and climate mitigation.
In Jordan, the Collaborative Rangelands Restoration project in Tel al-Rumman has turned conflict over overgrazed lands into partnership opportunities with local herders. By restoring 180 hectares, the program has increased biomass production, grazing days, and incomes for herding families, demonstrating how participatory approaches can link biodiversity restoration with sustainable food production and community trust.
In the Republic of Korea, the Uljin forest fire restoration project focuses on reviving native species and enhancing post-fire resilience. Community involvement and biodiversity prioritization are central to the approach, complemented by the Baekdudaegan seed vault, which preserves wild tree and plant seeds to support future restoration efforts. The project aims to fully restore the fire-damaged area by 2030.
The Restoration Initiative, operating across nine countries in Africa and Asia, has brought over 310,000 hectares under restoration and improved management practices on 717,000 hectares. The program has benefited more than 420,000 people while mitigating over 30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. By combining local knowledge, training, invasive species removal, and policy guidance, the initiative translates global restoration goals into actionable, locally adapted solutions.
A bamboo-based restoration initiative across nine countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America leverages fast-growing bamboo to combat land degradation, climate change, and biodiversity loss while supporting livelihoods. Led by the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR), the program has restored about 200,000 hectares and improved incomes for thousands of people, with plans to restore an additional 300,000 hectares by 2030. Key factors include multi-sector participation, respect for Indigenous rights, and development of sustainable value chains for bamboo.
The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, running from 2021 to 2030, aims to prevent, halt, and reverse ecosystem degradation worldwide, mobilizing political, scientific, and financial support to restore billions of hectares of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The World Restoration Flagships serve as exemplary large-scale restoration projects, monitored through the UN Decade’s Framework for Ecosystem Restoration Monitoring, ensuring transparency and accountability in global restoration efforts.
FAO and UNEP, as leading UN agencies in agriculture and environmental stewardship, work together to support these initiatives, linking ecosystem restoration with food security, livelihoods, and climate resilience to benefit both people and the planet.
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