Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 3 hrs ago
UN says 252 million hectares are being restored, but 2030 goals remain out of reach
A UN assessment found restoration underway across 252 million hectares in 149 countries, the largest documented effort so far.
The work is part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, running from 2021 to 2030, and includes efforts to repair damaged land, rivers, seas and coasts.
Countries have commitments to restore around one billion hectares and to put at least 30 per cent of degraded ecosystems under effective restoration by 2030.
Progress is uneven: freshwater, marine and coastal ecosystems lag behind, even as they face high rates of degradation.
The UN says annual restoration funding must more than quadruple, and investment could support up to 32 million jobs by 2030.
Restoring nature can also strengthen food and water security and climate resilience, so countries need to expand action before the 2030 targets come due.
A UN report says 252 million hectares across 149 countries are being restored, the largest documented global restoration effort to date.
The effort has created more than one million jobs, but restoration must accelerate to meet 2030 commitments.
The report says annual restoration finance must more than quadruple, with more focus needed on freshwater, marine and coastal ecosystems.
It estimates that restoration investment could generate up to 32 million new jobs worldwide by 2030.
Reported figures for China’s restored land area differ: one source gives 127.4 million hectares and another gives 137 million.
- Who
- Countries restoring nature, with the report co-published by FAO, UNEP and the CBD Secretariat.
- What
- A UN report found that 252 million hectares are being restored, but progress is insufficient to meet 2030 targets.
- When
- Published on October 29, 2026.
- Where
- Across 149 countries; the report was launched during the COP17 biodiversity summit in Armenia.
- Why
- To assess progress toward global restoration commitments and identify the need to accelerate action and increase funding.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration began.
The Kunming-Montreal framework was adopted.
The UN report was published and launched during the COP17 biodiversity summit in Armenia.
- Countries
- 149
- Restoration area
- 252 million hectares
- Jobs already created
- More than 1 million
- 2030 restoration commitment
- Around 1 billion hectares
- Estimated jobs by 2030
- Up to 32 million
- China land-restoration area
- 127.4 million hectares in Premium Times; 137 million hectares in Straits Times
3 sources
What people are saying
This report captures the largest documented restoration effort in history
Yet, at the halfway point of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, we are still not restoring nature at the scale or speed required.
Five years into the UN Decade, the message is clear: restoration works