What is ecosystem restoration?

Ecosystem restoration is defined as “a process of reversing the degradation of ecosystems, such as

landscapes, lakes and oceans to regain their ecological functionality; in other words, to improve the
productivity and capacity of ecosystems to meet the needs of society. This can be done by allowing the
natural regeneration of overexploited ecosystems or by planting trees and other plants” (UNEP, 2019).

The objective of ecosystem restoration is to contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of
biodiversity as well as create social, economic and environmental benefits, whereby healthy and connected
ecosystems should contribute to improve food and water security, peoples’ livelihoods and to mitigate and
adapt to climate change” (CBD, 2019). Considering ecosystems as socio-ecological areas which deliver
multiple functions that benefit a diversity of stakeholders can help to identify the drivers of ecosystem
degradation and loss, the existing interests to manage the landscape, economic issues and long-term goals
for the ecosystem (IUCN, 2008).

Art 2 of the Convention on Biological Diversity defines an "'ecosystem' as a dynamic complex of plant,
animal and micro-organism communities and their non-living environment interacting as a functional unit"
(CBD, 1992). The term "ecosystem" can refer to any functioning unit at any scale which is determined by the
problem being addressed (CBD, n.d.).

Restoration is defined as “any intentional activity that initiates or accelerates the recovery of an ecosystem
from a degraded state”; whatever is the form or intensity of degradation (IPBES, 2018). Restoration
responses are diverse depending on the type of ecosystem in which they are to be applied (croplands,
forests, rangeland, urban land, wetlands, etc.). To enable ecosystems to provide essential functions those
responses should consider landscape-level strategies, responding to local and enabling conditions, as well
as integrate indigenous and local knowledge (IPBES, 2018; CBD, 2019).

Ecosystem restoration is guided by principles adopted by the Parties to the CBD (CBD, 2019). It:
i) Is a complement to and should not replace conservation activities;
ii) Should be consistent with CBD provisions including the ecosystem approach principles; and,
iii) Should be planned at various scales and implemented using the best available science and traditional
knowledge.

Ecosystem restoration substantially supports the objectives of international agreements and global
objectives, including the Sustainable Development Goals (specifically Target 6, 14, and 15), the Strategic
Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 (specifically Target 15), the Paris Agreement, the Land Degradation
Neutrality goal, the Global Forest Goals, and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

References:

IPBES. (2018). The IPBES assessment report on land degradation and restoration. Montanarella, L., Scholes,
R., and Brainich, A. (eds.). Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and
Ecosystem Services, Bonn, Germany. 744 pages.

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). (no date). Ecosystem Restoration. Available at:
https://www.cbd.int/restoration/.
CBD (2019). ‘Decision XIII/5. Ecosystem restoration: short-term action plan’, in, p. 10. Available at:
https://www.cbd.int/doc/decisions/cop-13/cop-13-dec-05-en.pdf.

CBD Secretariat and Society for Ecological Restoration (2019) A companion to the Short-Term Action Plan
on Ecosystem Restoration - Resources, cases studies, and biodiversity considerations in the context of
restoration science and practice. Montreal, Canada. Available at:
https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.ser.org/resource/resmgr/custompages/publications/ser_publications/staper_
companion.pdf

Shepherd, Gill. (2004). The Ecosystem Approach: Five Steps to Implementation. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland
and Cambridge, UK. vi + 30 pp.

UNEP (2019) New UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration offers unparalleled opportunity for job creation,
food security and addressing climate change opportunity. Available at:
https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/press-release/new-un-decade-ecosystem-restoration-
offers-unparalleled-opportunity.