UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030 Phase II – Implementation

The United Nations have declared the years 2021 to 2030 the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. The aim is to improve the condition of vital ecosystems such as peatlands and wetlands, water bodies, floodplains and forests, as well as cultural and agricultural landscapes, coasts and oceans. In Germany, the implementation of the UN Decade focuses on the following goals:

• To raise awareness in society of the benefits of restoring ecosystems.
   
• Relevant stakeholders and affected target groups should support and actively promote efforts to restore ecosystems.
   
• In order to achieve this, innovative and exemplary approaches to ecosystem restoration will be communicated to the public.

The project partners are implementing a range of measures to achieve this: Project competitions, online dialogs, a newsletter and communication via social media. All information is published on the website www.undekade-restoration.de. Key target groups are invited to participate in innovative dialogues and provide active support. These include stakeholders who use ecosystems, as well as institutions that themselves restore or promote restoration. The project works together with an advisory board, prominent ambassadors and young multipliers.

Within the project, the IÖW is responsible for working with the scientific advisory board, maintaining a database of experts, and evaluating all communication measures. We conduct surveys to investigate the impact on the target groups reached. We derive recommendations for the next phase from the evaluation. 

The project follows the first project phase (2021–2024), in which a concept for the UN Decade in Germany was developed and implemented.