World restoring habitats at fastest rate ever recorded, UN report finds
NAIROBI: Wildlife habitats are being restored at the fastest rate ever recorded, according to a new UN report, which estimates that ecosystems equivalent in size to Kazakhstan — the planet’s ninth-largest country — are being revitalised.
The report, from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), estimates that 252 million hectares (623 million acres) of land, marine and freshwater habitats across 149 countries are now under active restoration, supporting more than a million green jobs in the process.
UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen said the world is “witnessing the makings of one of the largest movements for nature in recorded history,” but cautioned that progress is still too slow.
In 2021, governments pledged to revive around 1 billion hectares (2.47 billion acres) by 2030, promising that 30% of degraded ecosystems would be under restoration by the end of the decade.
While land ecosystems are on track, only 23% of degraded marine and coastal territories are being revived. Freshwater ecosystems, which are dwindling the fastest, are at just 5%.
Funding remains the biggest hurdle. The report says annual restoration investment needs to increase more than four-fold — from $64 billion (£47.5 billion) to $296 billion (£219.7 billion) by 2030.
There was encouraging news on that front this week as the Green Climate Fund (GCF) announced a record year of funding, with $3.3 billion (£2.5 billion) allocated to climate adaptation and mitigation projects in developing countries.
