Rome, 15 October 2025 – The United Nations has named four new World Restoration Flagships under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, highlighting global efforts to rehabilitate degraded ecosystems, boost community incomes, and support resilient food systems. The announcement took place at a high-level side event during the World Food Forum in Rome, ahead of World Food Day, and was led by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). These awards recognize ambitious, large-scale initiatives that contribute to the global goal of restoring one billion hectares of degraded land.
The four newly recognized flagships span 18 countries across four continents, currently restoring more than 500,000 hectares of forests, mountains, farmlands, grasslands, shrublands, savannahs, and coastal and freshwater ecosystems. By the end of the decade, these initiatives aim to restore nearly an additional 500,000 hectares. The awards emphasize that ecosystem restoration is crucial not only for environmental health but also for food security, climate resilience, biodiversity, and sustainable livelihoods.
In Jordan, the Collaborative Rangelands Restoration Flagship is transforming 180 hectares of degraded mountainous forests through partnerships with local herders. The initiative has increased biomass production eight-fold, expanded grazing days, doubled incomes, and engaged more than ten times the number of herding families, combining scientific methods with traditional knowledge to enhance both biodiversity and community livelihoods.
In the Republic of Korea, the Uljin forest fire restoration project is rehabilitating over 20,000 hectares of post-fire forest while prioritizing native species and community involvement. Complementary efforts include the Baekdudaegan Native Plant Seed Supply Center, which preserves wild seeds to aid in post-fire recovery and ensure long-term biodiversity resilience.
The Africa-Asia Restoration Initiative covers nine countries, restoring over 310,000 hectares and improving management of 717,000 more. The initiative has already benefited more than 420,000 people while mitigating over 30 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. By 2030, it plans to restore an additional 160,000 hectares, fostering local restoration economies, training smallholder farmers, removing invasive species, and informing government policies.
Finally, the bamboo-based restoration flagship, led by the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR), spans nine countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Bamboo is being used as a fast-growing, sustainable solution to land degradation, climate change, and biodiversity loss, while also creating livelihoods and carbon storage. About 200,000 hectares have been restored, benefiting a similar number of people, with plans to expand restoration by 300,000 hectares by 2030 through knowledge-sharing, capacity building, and multi-sector collaboration.
Since 2022, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration has recognized ten flagships in its inaugural year, seven more in 2024, and three ocean-focused initiatives earlier in 2025, showcasing the growing momentum of global restoration efforts to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and food security challenges.
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