UN tallies restoration work on 252 million hectares, but seas and rivers trail far behind

Across 149 countries, some 252 million hectares of nature are being restored, more than eighty times the size of Belgium. That is the finding of a United Nations report presented on Thursday at COP17, the UN biodiversity summit in the Armenian capital Yerevan, VRT NWS and La Libre report. The UN Environment Programme, UNEP, which co-authored the report, calls it the largest documented restoration effort ever. According to RTÉ, the area is as large as Argentina or Algeria.

By far the largest share of that restoration takes place on land, at 232 million hectares. Freshwater areas account for 11 million hectares and coastal and marine areas for 5.7 million, even though those ecosystems are deteriorating fastest, La Libre writes, citing the report. China is by far the biggest player, with around half of all restoration on land, followed by Mongolia and Kazakhstan among others. VRT NWS gives 127.4 million hectares for China, while La Libre and RTÉ put it at 137 million. China was also recognised for a programme restoring coastal wetlands, and Colombia for work including planting mangroves.

Even so, the world is not on track. According to the report, the pace must triple to reach the target of one billion hectares by 2030, and far more money is needed, especially from the private sector. Restoration is already creating jobs: more than a million, with a goal of 32 million by 2030. VRT NWS also points out that restoring 15 percent of priority areas would sharply reduce species extinctions.

The report offers a bright spot at a summit that is proving difficult. Earlier findings showed that 22 of the 23 biodiversity targets in the 2022 Kunming-Montreal agreement are off track. Negotiations are due to end today, but according to VRT NWS a deal may not come until Saturday. Federal minister Jean-Luc Crucke represents Belgium at the talks.