The Forest and Landscape Restoration Mechanism (FLRM)  joined the event “Initiative 20x20, Bonn Challenge and AFOLU 2040 Joint Meeting on Restoring Degraded Lands in Latin America” from 8 to 9 February 2023 in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize. The central theme of this event was innovative land-based actions for mitigation and adaptation to support the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (UN Decade). The joint meeting  engaged ministers and government officials from Latin America and the Caribbean, technical and financial partners of the Initiative 20x20, partners of the Bonn Challenge, regional partners of the UN Decade, and multilateral international institutions and donors to improve cross-sector coordination.

The event was also the occasion to launch the Spanish version of the Assessment, Understanding and Reporting Of Restoration Actions (AURORA) web application. Originally launched in English in 2022 by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the AURORA application has been successfully aiding the establishment of systems for monitoring restoration projects. By identifying indicators and metrics to monitor progress toward predefined goals, AURORA helps users develop a monitoring system tailored to their needs. Based on the publication "The road to restoration", the application considers two main priorities: the incorporation of technologies into monitoring systems, and the continual involvement of local stakeholders in ongoing projects. 

In addition to the valuable integration of Spanish into the AURORA application, further strides are being made to advance the coverage of the FLRM to Spanish-speaking populations. To begin, the FLRM was delighted to launch its website in Spanish during the event in Belize, along with the pre-existing English and French versions. Whereas the FLRM has regularly released articles, newsletters and e-alerts in Spanish since May 2022, this website update is a major step for greater engagement and visibility in global forest and landscape restoration (FLR). 

The FLRM also anticipates the release of four publications in Spanish in 2023. These include “The key role of forest and landscape restoration in climate action”, previously published in English; both the executive summary and full version of “Standards of practice to guide ecosystem restoration: A contribution to the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration” and the "Capacity, Knowledge and Learning Action Plan for the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration" by the FAO-led Task Force on Best Practices in English, French and Spanish.

Spanish-speaking readers seeking to advance their knowledge and participation in FLR are kindly encouraged to check out the FLRM website for regular updates in relevant news and events, to read the upcoming publications for an in-depth understanding of innovative restoration work and to utilize AURORA for the advanced monitoring of their restoration project.

Christophe Besacier (FAO), Caterina Marchetta (FAO), Giorgio Millesimi (FAO) and Madison Ziegler (FAO)