Saudi Arabia is actively working to regreen its deserts and combat drought and land degradation. One notable project involves rehabilitating Thadiq National Park, where 250,000 trees and 1 million shrubs were planted. The Saudi Green Initiative, launched in 2021, aims to turn 30% of the country’s land into nature reserves, plant 10 billion trees, and restore 40 million hectares of degraded land. The goal is to plant 400 million trees by 2030. This effort is crucial given that 60% of the population of West Asia and North Africa faces water scarcity. The country will also host World Environment Day 2024, focusing on desertification, land degradation, and drought resilience.
UNEP
Restoring Mediterranean forests has been recognized as a under the , offering hope and solutions to these pressing challenges.
, including forest restoration and nature-friendly management practices, play a crucial role in mitigating climate risks in the Carpathian Mountains, while promoting biodiversity and ecosystem resilience.
presents Nepal’s as one of the last places where tigers, elephants, rhinos, and humans co-exist. In recent years, the country’s tiger population has tripled – but attacks were on the rise.
The Terai Arc Landscape has been recognized as a World Restoration Flagship under the .
Humanity is all the wrong records on global warming. Fragile ecosystems face enormous pressure. More than plants, animals and other living things are at risk of being wiped out. Dirty air and chemical pollution threaten our lands, oceans and health. However, there is a lot we can do as individuals to tackle these issues. Every action, no matter how small, matters to the planet. The United Nations Environment Programme () has developed toolkits for taking environmental action on a range of issues, including reviving ecosystems, fighting climate change, reducing plastic waste, improving air quality, and planting trees.
Social forestry initiatives in Indonesia are playing a pivotal role in safeguarding the nation's precious forests, serving as a beacon of hope in the fight against climate change.
The International Day of Zero Waste emphasizes the critical need for effective waste management and reduced consumption to combat the environmental and health repercussions.
Grasping the extent of food waste through robust measurement, as highlighted in the , is crucial for catalyzing essential action and progress towards achieving SDG 12.
Colombia's electric buses are not only countering climate change by reducing emissions, but are also creating job opportunities for women, contributing to a more sustainable and inclusive transportation sector.
Humanity's unsustainable production and consumption patterns are driving the planet toward destruction. Households, small businesses and public services generate more than 2.1 billion tons of municipal solid waste each year. Yet the world's waste management services are ill-equipped: 2.7 billion people have no access to solid waste collection and only 61-62% of municipal solid waste is managed in controlled facilities. The International Zero Waste Day (30 March) highlights the critical need to strengthen waste management globally and promote sustainable production and consumption practices.
The Young Champions of the Earth initiative recognizes and celebrates ambitious young individuals worldwide, who demonstrate exceptional ideas and initiatives aimed at protecting and restoring the environment.
Thousands of moto-taxi drivers in Togo are adopting electric motorcycles as the country aims to become a regional leader in e-mobility. The African country is among over 40 countries collaborating with to expedite the transition to low-emission transportation through the .
As the , the United Nations Environment Assembly aims to help restore harmony between humanity and nature, improving the lives of the world’s most vulnerable people. Its sixth session, UNEA-6, from 26 February to 1 March in Nairobi, Kenya, will focus on how multilateralism can help tackle the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste. Backed by strong science, political resolve and engagement with society, the Assembly will be an opportunity to shape the global environmental policy.
The UN Environment Programme () and the Food and Agriculture Organization () of the UN have named seven initiatives from Africa, Latin America, the Mediterranean, and Southeast Asia as UN World Restoration Flagships. These projects aim to restore ecosystems at the tipping point of outright degradation resulting from wildfires, drought, deforestation, and pollution. The World Restoration Flagship awards are part of the which aims to restore one billion hectares – an area larger than China. The winning initiatives are expected to restore nearly 40 million hectares and create around 500,000 jobs. The World Restoration Flagships are chosen as the best examples of ongoing, large-scale and long-term ecosystem restoration.
The first edition, , underscores the urgent need for international cooperation to address the alarming population declines and extinction risks facing migratory species.