On the 28th of September, 2019, at the close of Climate Week and the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit in New York City, Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) convened more than 400 stakeholders at UN headquarters for the first public consultation on the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Complementing the GLF attendance numbers, a further 131 million people were reached via news media and over 25 million people on social media.
The Decade was adopted by the UN General Assembly in March 2019 and beginning in 2021, will bring together research, traditional knowledge, finance, activism and consumer markets while heightening public awareness around the economic, social and environmental benefits of restoring degraded landscapes. Effective restoration is a proven measure to mitigate and adapt to climate change as well as help achieve multiple targets outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); specifically those related to human well- being (SDGs 1 and 3 plus others), food and water security (SDGs 2 and 6), and biodiversity (SDGs 14 and 15).
The GLF consultation event brought together policymakers, scientists, finance and business leaders, conservationists, farmers, youth, Indigenous peoples, musicians, filmmakers, explorers and others. Sessions focused on degraded landscapes in various ecosystems: agriculture, forests, mountains, drylands, rangelands and oceans. Discussions highlighted important knowledge gaps, recent developments and potential solutions to restore these ecosystems.
Thematic sessions supporting the vision of the Decade, included creating a 2030 vision, the restoration agenda, how to fulfill restoration promises and commitments, healthy diets, and collaboration to scale-up restoration. Each session began with an inspirational talk or film, followed by a technical discussion by leading experts.
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