25 January 2022, Rome – A FAO-led global capacity needs assessment has identified key priority areas to achieve and sustain restoration goals at scale and support the United Nations (UN) Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030.

The UN Decade aims to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide while helping to end poverty and combat climate change.

According to the results of the global assessment, entitled “Key gaps and capacity priorities for restoration to support the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030”, strengthening financing, stakeholder engagement, technical capacities, and the development of supportive policies will be vital for restoration success.

“The assessment has identified strengths, gaps, needs and barriers across people, organizations, networks, partnerships and the enabling environment to achieving and sustaining global restoration goals,” said FAO Forestry Officer Christophe Besacier. “The results will help define, accelerate and upscale key knowledge products and capacity development initiatives in support of the Decade.”
 
The survey was conducted by a FAO-led Task Force on Best Practices – a coalition of more than 100 experts from leading global organizations established to enhance knowledge dissemination and system-wide capacity development efforts – and received more than 1 300 responses.

Critical areas

The survey stressed that comprehensive efforts should be made to enhance the financial component of restoration activities, addressing the mobilization of financing instruments, developing innovative financing solutions and partnerships, structuring sustainable financing and managing investments risks.

Engaging with sectors and actors, such as mining, energy and fisheries, international development partners, land users and underrepresented groups including women, Indigenous peoples and youth is also critical for restoration activities, according to the report.

It also underlined the need to enhance technical capacities across stakeholder groups and through all phases of ecosystem restoration activities, as well as the importance of relevant policies that foster effective and inclusive ecosystem restoration.

Promoting networks, partnerships and collective action mechanisms, and strengthening the enabling environment were also among recommendations made by the report.

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