Press release
33KB
report
73KB
december 11, 2015 - Iucn
IUCN - Leaders pledge to restore additional 18 million hectares of critical landscapes as part of global target
Government and business representatives from Burundi, Honduras, India, Mexican States, KPK province of Pakistan and Asia Pulp and Paper have announced new pledges today to restore up to 18 million hectares of degraded forests, as part of the UN climate change conference (COP 21) taking place in Paris.
The contributions come under The Bonn Challenge, a global initiative launched by Germany and IUCN in 2011 to have 150 million hectares of deforested and degraded land under restoration by 2020. This target was endorsed by the UN Climate Summit in 2014 and extended to 350 million hectares under restoration by 2030.
Today’s announcements join recent commitments made through other initiatives, bringing the total of Bonn Challenge pledges to just over 86 million hectares.
India has pledged to restore 13 million hectares, and is the first BRIC country to make a Bonn Challenge commitment. The commitment to restore one million hectares by Asia Pulp and Paper – one of the biggest producers of pulp, paper and packaging in the world – is the first private-sector pledge to the Bonn Challenge.
“Forest landscape restoration is a no-regrets option,” says IUCN Director General Inger Andersen.“In addition to its invaluable carbon sequestration potential, it offers a whole suite of benefits, including food security and soil conservation in Ethiopia, water for megacities in China, and rural development and jobs in Guatemala.
“It is encouraging to see more countries and businesses recognising the power and cost-effectiveness of nature-based solutions like forest landscape restoration. Delegates here in Paris must take these solutions into account when finalising the new climate agreement.”
Achieving the 350 million-hectare goal could generate US$ 170 billion per year in net benefits from watershed protection, improved crop yields and forest products, and could sequester up to 1.7 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent annually.
Prior to the UNFCCC COP 21, 13 countries and a regional alliance had pledged almost 60 million hectares to the Bonn Challenge.
“Paris COP 21 and Global Landscapes Forum 2015 are not just about political commitments. They are about actions and implementation,” says Franzjosef Schafhausen, Director General, Climate Policy, Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, Government of Germany. “Bringing back degraded and deforested lands can help stabilise the climate while sustainably supporting global and local economies.”
Credit Photo: IUCN
8099447694_ed98c1e68e_o
2288x1712, 842KB
9555147072_c91112806a_o
4288x2848, 6MB
9552356497_6507810cf2_o
2455x1640, 1MB
8099447876_d2ee6606cd_o
3264x2292, 3MB
9555137034_124bda8789_o
1143x1632, 517KB
8099440375_47c0da208b_o
3360x2400, 4MB
Related news |
||
|
|
|
december 21, 2015
|
december 18, 2015
|
december 17, 2015
|
|
During the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP21) that took place in Paris Nov. 30 through Dec. 11, Paris Match, a F... |
18-Dec-2015 The latest European Parliament plenary debated how to slash CO2 under the new Paris global accord to fight global war... |
During the #cop21 climate change conference in Paris, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman interviewed CEO #carlosghosn at the... |
Download all 
You might be interested in |
||
|
|
|
december 15, 2015
|
december 15, 2015
|
december 14, 2015
|
|
The European Wind Energy Association greatly welcomes the UN climate change agreement struck in Paris on Saturday 12 December.The ... |
Promoting the future of sustainable farming and providing #green transport alternatives, these were some of the ways that Company ... |
Iveco, the commercial vehicles brand of CNH Industrial N.V. (NYSE: CNHI /MI: CNHI), has delivered its 1,000 th commercial vehicle... |
Italian 
Download all 
Share
Share via mail 
Automotive
Sport
Events
Art&Culture
Design
Fashion&Beauty
Food&Hospitality
Technology
Nautica
Racing
Excellence
Corporate
OffBeat
Green
Gift
Pop
Heritage
Entertainment
Health & Wellness