UN recognizes 10 pioneering initiatives that are restoring the natural world

Montreal, 13 December 2022 – The United Nations has recognized 10 ground-breaking efforts from around the globe for their role in restoring the natural world.

The winning initiatives were unveiled at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal and a special virtual gala event featuring actors Jason Momoa and Edward Norton, Dr. Jane Goodall, extreme mountaineer Nirmal Purja, singer Ellie Goulding, UK band Bastille, Chinese celebrity Li Bingbing, UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen, FAO Deputy Director-General Maria Helena Semedo and British economist Sir Partha Dasgupta, among others. The gala was hosted by Indian National Geographic Explorer and wildlife filmmaker Malaika Vaz. 

The initiatives were declared World Restoration Flagships and are eligible to receive UN-backed promotion, advice or funding. They were selected under the banner of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, a global movement coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). It is designed to prevent and reverse the degradation of natural spaces across the planet.

Together, the 10 flagships aim to restore more than 68 million hectares − an area bigger than Myanmar, France or Somalia − and create nearly 15 million jobs.

In revealing the World Restoration Flagships, the UN Decade seeks to honour the best examples of large-scale and long-term ecosystem restoration, embodying the 10 Restoration Principles of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

The inaugural World Restoration Flagships are:

Trinational Atlantic Forest Pact

Abu Dhabi Marine Restoration

Great Green Wall for Restoration and Peace

Ganges River Rejuvenation

Multi-Country Mountain Initiative 

Small Island Developing States Restoration Drive

Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative

Central American Dry Corridor

Building with Nature in Indonesia

Shan-Shui Initiative in China

Explore the World Restoration Flagship sites virtually with Digital Interactive: https://www.unep.org/interactive/flagship-initiatives-boosting-nature-livelihoods/

Join the celebrations and watch Virtual Gala Stream, including two new songs, 10 celebrities joining, and most importantly voices and footage from the restoration sites themselves.