The hope is that, over time, forest and farming communities will develop alternatives for sustainable landscape use that will reduce pressure on natural resources across the wider region—covering a target area of 53,000 hectares. 

The projects are part of ongoing investments mobilized by UNEP through GEF and other donors, to promote the protection and sustainable management of the Congo basin forests.  

Spanning 530 million hectares across six countries, the Congo Basin absorbs nearly 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, constituting one of the largest carbon sinks in the world. The basin is also home to 70 per cent of Africa’s forest cover and one in every five species on the planet.  

Land restoration is a key part of the theme of this year’s World Environment Day on 5 June. It is one of the most important ways of delivering nature-based solutions for food insecurity, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and biodiversity loss. 

Some 3.2 billion people, or 40 per cent of the global population, are impacted by land degradation. Those hardest hit are also those least equipped to cope: rural communities, smallholder farmers and the extremely poor. A quarter of the Earth’s surface has seen reduced productivity due to land degradation, greatly affecting food security and livelihoods.  

“The Congo basin is a globally significant biome that we simply cannot afford to lose,” says Doreen Lynn Robinson, Head of Biodiversity and Land at UNEP. “By addressing the fundamental drivers of deforestation and degradation, such as unsustainable agricultural practices, these projects will go a long way in improving the economic plight of women in Cameroon while helping to mitigate climate change and protecting biodiversity.” 

 
To learn more about UNEP’s work with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in Biodiversity and Land Degradation, contact johan.robinson[at]un.org. 

World Environment Day 
World Environment Day on 5 June is the biggest international day for the environment. Led by UNEP and held annually since 1973, the event has grown to be the largest global platform for environmental outreach, with millions of people from across the world engaging to protect the planet. This year, World Environment Day focuses on land restoration, desertification and drought resilience. 
 

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030 
The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030, led by the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and partners covers terrestrial as well as coastal and marine ecosystems. A global call to action, it will draw together political support, scientific research and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration.