Global Commitments for Ecological Restoration
Global commitments, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), emphasize the need for ecosystem restoration. These commitments support the restoration of marine, terrestrial, and freshwater ecosystems, providing a strong foundation for international, national, and regional restoration efforts (UNEP, 2021).
The Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), drafted by the CBD, aims to guide conservation commitments over the next decade. By 2030, the GBF targets include conserving at least 30% of land and sea areas and restoring at least 20% of degraded ecosystems (CBD, 2020).
Aware of the critical need to reverse ecosystem degradation, the UN General Assembly declared 2021–2030 as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) also call for the restoration of marine, coastal, terrestrial, and inland freshwater ecosystems, specifically under SDG 14.2 (Life Below Water) and SDG 15.1 (Life on Land) (UNEP, 2021).
These commitments require robust monitoring frameworks with indicators to help countries and programs track progress towards achieving restoration goals (Díaz et al., 2019).
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Ecological Restoration in the Context of 30 by 30
The global 30 by 30 target aims to conserve at least 30% of the world’s lands, oceans, and freshwater by 2030. This is a notable increase from previous targets set by Aichi Target 11, which aimed for 17% of terrestrial and inland waters and 10% of marine and coastal habitats (CBD, 2020).
Critical coastal and marine habitats, such as mangroves, saltmarshes, shellfish and coral reefs, seagrasses, kelp forests, sponge gardens, and mudflats, are essential to prioritize for protection under the 30 by 30 target. These habitats play a vital role in supporting ocean health and providing essential ecosystem services (UNEP, 2021).
Meeting the 30 by 30 goals depends on protecting sufficient ecosystem areas and the effectiveness of conservation tools like Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs). Unfortunately, less than 3% of existing MPAs are effectively managed, and many ecosystems have less than 30% of their historic area remaining (Díaz et al., 2019).
Marine habitat restoration is now crucial alongside protection to meet global biodiversity targets as the health of marine habitats declines (Díaz et al., 2019).
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