European Youth Voices on Ecosystem Restoration

The ongoing climate emergency, unprecedented loss of nature and escalating pollution are threatening life on Earth. Humanity is using the equivalent of 1.6 Earths to maintain our current way of life, and the world’s ecosystems - from oceans to forests, farmlands, cities and wetlands - cannot keep up with our demands. The science is clear: urgent action is needed, and we can all do our part.

There are significant benefits to ecosystem restoration. According to UNEP’s report Becoming #Generationrestoration, half of the world’s GDP is dependent on nature. Restoring 15% of converted lands and halting further conversion of natural ecosystems could help avoid 60% of expected species extinctions. By restoring our ecosystems, we can also contribute to ending poverty and combatting climate change.

In the context of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021- 2030), UNEP and FAO are calling on everyone to join the global #GenerationRestoration movement to help prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide. Youth and future generations are amongst those who will feel the most impact of the planetary crises. Yet, they are also part of the solutions.

To raise awareness of this campaign in the run up to the UN Biodiversity COP 15 and the UN Climate COP26, UNEP Europe Office through its Brussels Office, supported by FAO Brussels, reached out to youth in Europe to share viewpoints for actions and knowledge.

European Youth Event

We took the opportunity to attend the European Youth Event 2021 (EYE 2021), convened by the European Parliament from the 8^th to 9^th of October 2021 in Strasbourg, France. Some 10,000 young Europeans attended this major event, both online and in-person. We used our presence at a UN stand to physically engage with groups of youth in these COVID-19 pandemic times, to raise awareness on ecosystem restoration and help grow the #GenerationRestoration movement in Europe.

At the EYE2021, our offices launched a call for stories on ecosystem restoration. The most inspiring stories are reflected further below. The perspectives shared with us will help guide our future outreach efforts towards European youth on the matter.

Our call for stories is also part of the European Commission’s #TheGreenTrack campaign. This initiative that was announced during the EYE2021, is a campaign directed at young people, in the run up to the COP15 on biodiversity and nature. It is organised in collaboration with the Global Biodiversity Youth Network. In the context of The Green Track campaign, some of the shared perspectives may also be disseminated across the European Commission social media channels.

Gathering stories

We invited respondents to submit their ideas and stories in writing, through pictures or in the form of a video, via social media using a combination of hashtags: #GenerationRestoration #EYE2021 and #TheGreenTrack. Alternatively, respondents could submit ideas via an online form. Participants could choose to submit ideas anonymously or with information on their age and country of residence.  This call was open from the 8^th to the 24^th of October.

Most of the young people visiting our stand expressed their interest to learn more about ecosystem restoration, how they could get involved and what actions could be taken to ensure a visible change on the ground. They were happy to learn more about the topic through our quiz and discussions, and see that restoration is not only about forests and trees but many more activities. 

We obtained a variety of perspectives, submitted by written responses or recorded by video. In addition to voices from Europe, we received inputs from outside the European continent, providing views on how they see the role of European youth in addressing ecosystem restoration. These ideas were shared by individuals, and in some cases on behalf of associations.

We have categorized the responses as follows:  

1. What does Ecosystems Restoration mean to YOUth?

2. Inspiring actions already underway

3. Inspiring Ideas for ecosystem restoration that could make a difference

4. What others expect from the European youth

1. What does Ecosystems Restoration mean to YOUth?

European Youth Ambassadors have shared their views with us.

“Ecosystem restoration for me is very much about connecting young people back to nature”

Adel, YEA

“Ecosystem restoration means sustainability. (…)  if we don’t follow up on our actions, the ecosystem will not be restored in the long term. It means also giving the right to local people to do the restoration by themselves and be actors of change in their own place.

Anaëlle, YEA

“It’s about reforestation, but I also just learnt that it isabout marine restoration and seas.” (...) ”Restoration includes human hands: everyone can contribute to it because the future is in our hands”

Despoina, YEA

Watch the video for more details: 

2. Inspiring actions already underway

Using Nature-Based solutions to restore entire ecosystems in a city, the story from Adel

Adel gave an example of a Nature-based solution that he was involved in. Adel considered this story a way to leverage “what nature has to offer to rebuild and bring back lost ecosystems”:

“When I was in Rabat, Morocco, a few months ago, I was part of an incredible project; in which we within the city rebuilt an entire ecosystem by growing food and bringing people together. Very quickly we noticed that insects that had disappeared, had come back".

“At the same time we built social capital. We used art, culture, music, to ensure that not only we build back better with nature and ecosystems, but also we ensure that people are connected through actual social connections, and this for me is also part of ecosystem restoration”. Read more here

Planting trees through group work and zero budget, the story from Anais

Anais, from Spain, representing a youth-led association called Equipo Europa, highlighted the national campaign they launched called #ATreeForEurope (#UnÃrbolPorEuropa). This promotes the planting of trees in cities and towns. In two years, more than 600 Spanish towns have planted more than 27,000 trees. The group aims to expand this campaign to the European level. “As you can see, this has been a successful initiative so far and it has been developed with 0 funds, just with a group of engaged young people who want to have an impact on the present to build a brighter future,” wrote Anais. Further details at Cycling for Democracy: 8th episode - Spain on Vimeo.

Implementing Nature-based solutions with the help of a web application, the story from Naomi and CUNCR Youth Climate Ambassadors:

Naomi, from Mexico, spoke about the iGreen web app, which she has helped develop through the Center for United Nations Constitutional Research (CUNCR), based in Brussels, and Belgium’s team of Youth Climate Ambassadors. This app calculates the number of trees that would need to be planted to offset your carbon footprint in different scenarios and subsequently provides the option to donate to plant and maintain these trees.

Photo from UNEP

3. Inspiring Ideas for ecosystem restoration that could make a difference

Several respondents provided examples of tangible actions that in their view could contribute to restoring nature. These came from young people based in Europe, as well as outside of Europe:

A Beach or river clean up

• Cristina, from Italy advocated to organise the cleaning of coasts and rivers
• Eunice, from Kenya, backed the idea that young people can restore ecosystems by planting trees, cleaning up riverbanks, or simply giving nature space to recover, because it increases the benefits to society and biodiversity. Eunice wrote: “Without reviving ecosystems, we cannot achieve sustainable development goals”

Incentivize circularity at home and reduce waste

• An anonymous respondent wrote: “I think they [youth] can help by not buying things they don’t need and by not throwing trash in the nature”.
• Marisol, from Chile, supported the promotion of a circular economy from home, which benefits families and industries that reduce their waste.
• Muchaneta, from Zimbabwe, echoed this idea, by promoting circularity and waste reduction: “Reduce, reuse, and recycle and informed waste disposal in landfill space on a smaller scale within our communities.”

Photo from UNEP

4. What others expect from the European youth

We also received perspectives from people from outside of Europe on how European youth should help protect and restore nature:

Improve land management and infrastructure

• Maryam, from Pakistan, considered that “People in Europe can always make the development green. People can always progress by retaining natural landscape, protecting biodiversity and considering sustainable infrastructure.”

Help put an end to extractive industries

• Kante, from Lesotho, said: “Young people in Europe should help put an end to Extractive Industries”, explaining that this disturbs the ground and causes global warming and water scarcity. This also threatens important plants and species and by extension the food systems.

Photo from UNEP

Thank YOU!

We are very grateful to the many young people from across the globe who have taken the time and effort to share their thoughts and experiences with us. We hope their voices will inspire others to share these ideas and undertake similar actions to protect and restore our ecosystems, as well as help secure our shared future for a healthy planet and people.

We also thank in particular the EYE organisers, the YEA network, the European Commission as part of their The Green Track, our UNEP colleagues from the Anatomy of Action campaign and our UN colleagues from the UN Regional Information Centre for their support in promoting the call via their communication channels.

For more information: unep-eu@un.org

Read also All Youth need to know about Ecosystem Restoration in Europe