According to a new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), wildlife habitats are recovering at an unprecedented rate. The organization estimates that the area of reviving ecosystems is comparable to the territory of Kazakhstan — the ninth-largest country in the world.
The scale of restoration
The report estimates that 252 million hectares (623 million acres) of terrestrial, marine and freshwater habitats in 149 countries are in the stage of active restoration. This process has already created more than one million "green" jobs.
UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen noted that the world "is witnessing the emergence of one of the largest movements in defense of nature in the entire history of observation." At the same time, she pointed out that overall progress so far remains insufficient to achieve the set goals.
Goals and current progress
In 2021, governments committed to restoring about 1 billion hectares by 2030, promising to bring 30% degraded ecosystems back to life by the end of the decade.
According to the report, the following dynamics are currently observed:
- the restoration of terrestrial ecosystems is proceeding according to plan;
- being restored 23% of degraded marine and coastal areas;
- freshwater ecosystems are in the stage of restoration at the level of 5%.
The funding question
The report notes that annual investment in restoration must increase more than fourfold — from 64 billion dollars to 296 billion dollars by 2030.
This week it became known that the Green Climate Fund (GCF) has announced a record volume of funding for the current year. For projects on adaptation to climate change and mitigation of its consequences in developing countries, 3,3 billion dollars have been allocated 3,3 billion dollars.
