Ecosystem restoration playbook. A practical guide to healing the planet

Abstract

People and the planet are only as healthy as the ecosystems we all depend on. Bringing degraded ecosystems back to life – for example by planting trees, cleaning up riverbanks, or simply giving nature space to recover – increases their benefits to society and biodiversity. Without reviving ecosystems, we cannot achieve the Sustainable Development Goals or the Paris Climate Agreement. But ecosystems are also complex and highly varied, and their restoration needs careful planning and patient implementation.

To encourage the revival of ecosystems everywhere, UNEP has published a practical guide to ecosystem restoration. Released at the start of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, the Ecosystem Restoration Playbook provides an introduction to the range of actions that can slow and halt the degradation of ecosystems and foster their recovery.