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UN: Window Closing for Forest Restoration
29 Sep
Summary
- Over 489 million hectares of forests cleared since 1990.
- Less than a fifth of promised restoration land is being restored.
- Restoring 1 billion hectares could generate $1.8 trillion annually.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has issued a stark warning: the global window for restoring essential forests is rapidly closing. Since 1990, more than 489 million hectares of forests have been lost, with an even larger area becoming degraded.
Despite numerous global initiatives promising over 1 billion hectares of restoration, less than a fifth of this target is actively being restored. This insufficient action jeopardizes food security and the planet's resilience to the climate emergency.
Forests, covering about a third of Earth's land, are crucial for storing carbon, hosting biodiversity, regulating rainfall, and supporting livelihoods for nearly one-third of the global population.
Intensifying threats from fires, pests, severe weather, agricultural expansion, and resource extraction are making these ecosystems more vulnerable. The FAO emphasizes that forest and landscape restoration is a strategic investment in resilient agrifood systems and rural development.
Delayed or inadequate restoration efforts risk long-term costs and could lock landscapes into unsustainable paths. The UN urges governments to prioritize forest restoration as a national imperative to avert greater future crises and economic losses.
