Amplifying the impact of our programme

Confronted with scientific evidence, governments have come to realise that conserving the ecosystems and biodiversity that we have left won’t be enough to halt, let alone reverse negative environmental trends – we also need to restore damaged ecosystems. Many countries have committed to international targets for restoration as part of a ‘nature-based solution’ that will deliver significantly on objectives for the conservation of biodiversity, mitigation of climate change, and sustainable development. Projects funded by the Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme are an inspirational showcase of what can be achieved when funding, partnership among committed institutions, and co-development with communities come together. We aim to bring these examples, and the knowledge and lessons generated by the ELSP, to the attention of decision-makers and those with power and influence.

Three key barriers to ecosystem restoration are consistently identified: inadequate stakeholder engagement, conflicting interests and competition between different land uses; insufficient funding to deliver the scale of restoration required; and the absence of an enabling policy environment that prioritises restoration at scale. Solutions to overcome these are urgently needed to meet the ambitious commitments of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. The ELSP is working with UNEP-WCMC, BirdLife, and RSPB to convene and strengthen dialogue between key actors, including restoration practitioners, local communities, the finance sector, and policymakers. Ongoing discussions are building on lessons coming from ELSP-funded landscapes and seascapes, to jointly find solutions to achieve restoration at scale. The convening project team has established an ecosystem restoration Community of Practice within the Cambridge Conservation Initiative (CCI), with the aim of fostering cross-organisation collaboration.

“The challenge of restoration needs to be examined and addressed from a multidisciplinary perspective if interlinked issues such as human health, justice, wellbeing, food security, and climate risks are to be addressed – the state of the environment is a thread that runs through all of these.”

Giulia Costa-Domingo, Associate Programme Officer, UNEP-WCMC.