NAIROBI, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Three new World Restoration Flagships were on Thursday recognized by United Nations agencies for promoting agrifood systems transformation, biodiversity protection, and climate action through indigenous knowledge.
Based in Australia, Canada, and South Africa, the projects leverage indigenous and local knowledge to enhance habitat protection, food security, and the green transition.
The announcements came ahead of the seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly, scheduled for Dec. 8 to 12, and are jointly led by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030).
"One hectare at a time, governments, communities, and partners are restoring forests, grasslands, shrub lands, coastlines, and marine environment," said Inger Andersen, UNEP executive director, in a statement issued in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.
"By combining lessons from indigenous peoples with modern science, we are restoring damaged ecosystems. One hectare at a time," she added.
The Thicket Restoration Movement in South Africa was recognized for revitalizing one of the country's most biodiverse yet neglected ecosystems, a native subtropical thicket, with a long-term goal of restoring 800,000 hectares by 2030.
These three new flagship projects expand a portfolio of 27 UN-recognized initiatives, which collectively restore over 18 million hectares of diverse ecosystems worldwide, with plans underway to restore more than 68 million hectares.
FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu emphasized that people-centered ecosystem restoration projects are vital for strengthening agrifood systems, climate resilience, and food diversity.
