Prelims– Current events of National and International Importance| Reports and Indices
Why in News?
The UN report titled Nature’s Comeback – Scaling Ecosystem Restoration for People and Planet reveals that countries have implemented only about 25% of their global ecosystem restoration commitments.
- Published by – The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
- The study highlights key metrics on current progress and the urgent need to triple efforts.
- Key Findings from the Report
- Scale of Restoration– Approximately 252 million hectares (ha) across 149 countries are currently under active restoration, which is roughly ten times the size of the United Kingdom.
- The Gap– While 252 million hectares show progress, the target needed to meet global biodiversity goals is 738 million hectares (or out of roughly 1 billion hectares of targeted lands), meaning the pace needs to triple by 2030.
- Green Jobs– Ongoing initiatives have generated over one million green jobs worldwide.
- Impact Potential–
- Restoring just 15% of global priority areas can capture and store 30% of CO2 equivalent emissions since the industrial revolution and prevent 60% of projected species extinctions.
- Restoring 10% of degraded agricultural land could help feed 154 million people.
- Economic Stakes– Half of the world’s GDP relies directly on healthy, functioning ecosystems that provide essential food, clean water, and air.
Reference
UNEP| Nature’s Comeback – Scaling Ecosystem Restoration for People and Planet
