Land Equivalent to Size of China to be Restored by 2030 to Prevent Biodiversity Loss:FAO & UNEP Report

 

On 3rd June, 2021, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) has released a report titled, ‘Becoming #GenerationRestoration: Ecosystem Restoration for People, Nature and Climate’. The report states, to avoid biodiversity loss, land equivalent to size of china or one billion hectares of degraded land should be restored by 2030.

Currently, the world is using 1.6 times the amount of services that nature could provide.

Note – UN General Assembly had declared 2021–2030 as “UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration”.

Key Findings:

Farmlands – 20% of croplands show stressed or declining productivity.

Forests – ~420 million ha of forest have been converted to other land uses since 1990.

FreshWater – 35% average decline in area of natural inland wetlands since 1970g, with 87% total loss since 1700.

Grasslands, Shrublands & Savannahs- ~19% of grasslands and 27% per cent of rangelands show stressed or declining productivity.

Mountains – 5 days per decade = average decline in duration of mountain snow cover, especially at lower elevation.

Oceans & Coasts – ~66% of ocean ecosystems are damaged, degraded or modifiedn. ~1/3 of commercial marine fish populations are fished unsustainably.

Peatlands – 65 million ha of peatlandsq, especially in Europe, Central and Southeast Asia, East Africa, southernmost America and the Amazon.

Urban Area – >50% Since 2000, the number of city inhabitants without access to safely managed drinking water has increased by more than 50 per cent.

Funds Required:

To achieve land restoration targets by 2030, investment of at least $200 billion per year by 2030 will be needed.

About Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):
Director General – Qu Dongyu
Headquarter – Rome, Italy

About UN Environment Programme (UNEP):
Executive Director – Inger Andersen
Headquarter – Nairobi, Kenya





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