UN decade on Ecosystem restoration starts in 2021

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UNEP/Canadian-Media: The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration starts in 2021. It is a global rallying cry for everyone — from governments to multinational companies, to schoolchildren — to get involved in reviving damaged ecosystems.

Youth should learn the value of nature

To mark World Children’s Day, which is 20 November, the United Nations Environment Programme recreated the journey of one young girl as she learns about the value of the natural world and how to protect it.

From forests to farmlands to oceans, Earth’s ecosystems are the basis of human prosperity. But as the planet’s population grows, driving the demand for natural resources, these landscapes are being degraded at an alarming rate.

Experts say young people will be most impacted by the destruction of ecosystems. But they also stand to benefit the most from the creation of sustainable jobs based on a restoration economy.
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Educating children about restoration, say, experts, will turn today’s school kids into ecosystem ambassadors and provide them with the skills necessary to work in the planet-friendly industries of tomorrow.

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030, led by the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and partners, is designed to prevent, halt and reverse the loss of ecosystems worldwide. A global call to action, it will draw together political support, scientific research, and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration.

There has never been a more urgent need to restore damaged ecosystems than now.

Ecosystems support all life on Earth. The healthier our ecosystems are, the healthier the planet — and its people. The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration aims to prevent, halt, and reverse the degradation of ecosystems on every continent and in every ocean. It can help to end poverty, combat climate change, and prevent mass extinction. It will only succeed if everyone plays a part. Find out more about ecosystems and the UN Decade, and join the global movement to restore our world.

The post was first published in UNEP