Ecosystem Restoration. Reimagine, recreate, restore.

June 5 was established as World Environment Day by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972. On that date, the Stockholm Conference “First Earth Summit” was held at the initiative of Sweden and in conjunction with the UN.

Also known as the “United Nations Conference on the Human Environment”, its central theme was the environment and produced the “Stockholm Declaration”, comparable to the Declaration of Human Rights, within which is the “Declaration of principles on the environment and development”.

This year’s World Environment Day will be hosted by Pakistan. The theme of the year is “Restoration of ecosystems”, and the motto is “Reimagine, recreate, restore.” It will be in this environment that the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030 is launched.

To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the Agenda 2030 and the Objectives of the Paris Agreement, it is essential that ecosystems regain health. But these are complex and require planning and proper implementation in their restoration.

To promote the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, UNEP has published the practical guide “Ecosystem Restoration Manual”, with actions to reduce and stop their degradation, and promote their recovery.

The guide presents three types of actions to get involved:

  • Initiate or support a restoration project on the ground.
  • Make decisions about buying only sustainable products and changing your diet.
  • Support the conservation and restoration of ecosystems.

It does so by targeting eight key ecosystems: forests, farmlands, grasslands and savannas, rivers and lakes, oceans and coasts, towns and cities, peatlands and mountains. It presents to society, individuals, communities, companies and governments how to become part of the #GenerationRestoration movement, to restore ecosystems everywhere for the good of the planet and those who inhabit it.

This is the generation that can make the planet healthier, benefiting people and society, helping the recovery and maintenance of species and biodiversity.

Aixa Chacin

 

Sources of references

World Environment Day. Retrieve from https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/

United Nations. Environment Day. Retrieve from https://www.un.org/en/observances/environment-day

Decade on Restoration. Retrieve from https://www.decadeonrestoration.org/

World Environment Day. Ecosystem Restauration Playbook. Retrieve from https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/get-involved/ecosystem-restoration-playbook

United Nations Environment Program. News and Stories. 10 years to restore our planet. 10 actions that count. Retrieve from https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/10-years-restore-our-planet-10-actions-count