Land restoration is an essential component of any building forward strategy.

Without land restoration, we will continue to face global crises. Ensuring food and water security, reducing emissions, and conserving biodiversity will not be possible without concerted efforts to regenerate our natural capital and transform our food systems.

Land is the foundation of our societies. Over half of global GDP relies on what the land gives us. 99.9% of the food we consume comes from land.

Land degradation already threatens the livelihoods and security of over 3 billion people.

More than 125 countries have committed to targets and measures to restore the land, which is a strong start. It can be much stronger if Covid-19 stimulus packages are targeted more towards it.
But only an approximate of 2.5 percent of such spending so far has green objectives.
We have the tools to create healthier and more resilient societies and economies. These include more responsible land governance, investments that protect and restore land and nature, and long-term strategic planning.

The pandemic has given us a rare and small opportunity to review and rethink the future we can create, a future of healthier citizens, secure livelihoods and greater equality and opportunity for all.

We can seize that opportunity now.

1. The Scale of the Challenge – Reversing Course

# A million species face extinction due to habitat loss.
# We are losing more value than we produce. Between 1997 and 2011, land-use change caused losses averaging USD 20 trillion worth of ecosystem services every year.
# Land degradation alone accounted for 30% of that, three times the global market value of agricultural products.
# Over a quarter of greenhouse gases arise from agriculture, forestry, and other land uses.
# By 2025, an estimated 1.8 billion people will suffer absolute water scarcity and two-thirds of the world will be living under water shortages.
# Our ability to provide stable food and nutritional security for a growing population is at serious risk.
# Science and current agriculture have increased productivity in the short-term, but resulting soil degradation has reduced the concentrations of vitamins and nutrients in our food.
# By 2050, on our present course, global crop yields are estimated to fall 10%, with some regions suffering up to a 50% reduction.
# As a result, world food prices are expected to rise by an estimated 30%.
# Ensuring food security for 9.7 billion people by 2050 while meeting the other goals of the Paris Agreement will be possible only if we scale up land restoration and regeneration to transform our food systems

2. Land Restoration for a Green Recovery – The Solution

Land restoration is a proven and cost-effective strategy that can jumpstart a green economic recovery. It creates green jobs, uplifts rural communities, and delivers significant co-benefits for human health, biodiversity, and climate change.

Land restoration offers multiple pathways towards a green recovery and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.