Africa: Nature Is Making a Comeback - Now Restoration Funding Must Quadruple

What the report says

A new UN-backed report says ecosystem restoration is advancing worldwide, with 252 million hectares across 149 countries now under restoration. The findings were released at the COP17 biodiversity conference in Yerevan, Armenia, and are presented as a midterm check on the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, which runs through 2030. The effort spans land and sea and is described by the UN as the largest documented restoration drive so far.

The report, co-published by the UN Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the UN biodiversity secretariat, says progress is encouraging but still far short of what is needed to meet global biodiversity goals. It points to the 2022 Kunming-Montreal agreement, which calls for major restoration gains and stronger protection of ecosystems. UNEP says annual restoration finance must rise sharply, from about $64 billion to $296 billion, if countries are to stay on track.

According to the UN agencies, restoration has already created more than one million green jobs and could support many more by 2030 if investment expands. The report also notes that progress differs by ecosystem type: terrestrial recovery is closer to targets than marine, coastal and freshwater restoration. The agencies say long-term success will depend on sustained funding, monitoring, and policies that reduce the drivers of environmental damage.

UN officials say the broader significance is that restoration can support food and water security, climate resilience, biodiversity and livelihoods, but only if governments and partners scale up action quickly.