New global map supports the restoration of degraded lands and preservation of natural vegetation

In Zemo Alvani, a village nestled in Georgia's Caucasus mountains in the north of the country, Natia Matcharashvili carefully handpicks the ripest wheat grains from her fields. As a first-generation farmer, she takes pride in every harvest that will soon be milled into flour.

The FAO Biodiversity Knowledge Hub consolidates FAO’s existing information and resources related to biodiversity in agrifood systems. This platform helps countries strengthen their knowledge and capabilities to implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and ensure global food security.

An integrated mountain agropastoral system in Tajikistan has become the first Central Asian addition to the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems, with a pine tree agroforestry system and traditional bamboo and fishery system in the Republic of Korea and an agrosilvopastoral system in Portugal also recognized. 

Stretching from Bhutan to Papua New Guinea, the Indo-Malaya forest biome harbors one of the last major primary forest areas in the world, hosting more than 5,000 threatened species. 60 percent of its original vegetation is already lost, and the remaining primary forests are under pressure from unsustainable agriculture, logging, and competing land use. Over 560 million people in the region depend on the resources provided by these forests, such as water regulation, carbon sequestration, and timber and non-timber forest products.

A Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF) project puts Indigenous Peoples and local communities in the center of biodiversity conservation, sustainable land use, and ecosystem restoration in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The FAO Biodiversity Knowledge Hub consolidates FAO’s existing information and resources related to biodiversity in agrifood systems. This platform helps countries strengthen their knowledge and capabilities to implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and ensure global food security.

A traditional agroforestry system growing the erva-mate plant in Brazil, three sites in China specializing in pearl mussels, white tea and pears, an ancestral system preserving vital food crops and biodiversity in Mexico and a distinctive farming system in the volcanic landscape of Spain’s Lanzarote island became the latest additions to Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS).

Join FAO’s Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment (OCB) in celebrating the International Day for Biological Diversity. OCB is coordinating efforts across the Organization and working with countries to promote agrifood systems solutions that work in harmony with nature.

From the highest cloud forest in the Andes to one of the smallest fish in a Chilean river, biodiversity is the invisible thread that ties ecosystems together and sustains agricultural production and food security.

Bees play a vital role as pollinators across a wide range of ecosystems, including forest landscapes and food crops worldwide. That’s particularly important where Eventir lives, in what’s known as the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor. 

Government officials, biodiversity experts, and international development partners from across the Southern African Development Community (SADC), East African Community (EAC), gather in Cape Town for 5 days for the Regional Dialogue on the Update and Revision of Regional and National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans.

Explore recent FAO publications on biodiversity and discover how the Organization helps countries conserve, restore and sustainably use biodiversity in agrifood systems.

This publication introduces a definition of “area under restoration” tailored to the unique characteristics of freshwater ecosystems and outlines key considerations for monitoring restoration efforts. By promoting consistent and coherent reporting, the guidelines aim to support countries in tracking progress, enhancing ecological outcomes, and ensuring that these critical but often overlooked ecosystems are effectively restored and maintained.

Cutting-edge technology and data will bring transparency and accountability to global restoration commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework

This month, highlights include the release of the global report on genetic resources for food and agriculture, assessing agroecological transitions results using the FAO’s TAPE tool, and new e-learning courses focused on forest and fisheries management. 

Genetic diversity is key to creating more resilient agrifood systems that withstand challenges such as shifting climate patterns. Since 80 percent of the food we consume is plant-based, preserving a wide range of genetic materials allows farmers to grow crops and varieties suited to their local environments, enhancing food security and livelihoods.

This significant publication highlights the crucial role of genetic resources in maintaining the resilience and productivity of forests and their adaptation to climate change. Drawing on data from 77 countries – representing more than three-quarters of the global forest area – the report analyses the progress made in improving the management of forest genetic resources while also indicating that there is a need to reinforce their conservation and sustainable management in the face of rising threats to them.

The Third Report on the State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture presents the results of a global assessment of the status and trends of in situ conservation, on-farm management, ex situ conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture since 2012. It also presents the status of human and institutional capacities and the enabling environment necessary for the effective conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.  

In 2025, forests and foods is the theme for the day, celebrating the crucial roles of forests in food security, nutrition and livelihoods. In addition to providing food, fuel, income and employment, forests support soil fertility, protect water resources, and offer habitats for biodiversity, including vital pollinators. They are essential for the survival of forest-dependent communities, particularly Indigenous Peoples, and contribute to climate change mitigation by storing carbon.