The United Nations (UN) recognized the forest restoration work in the Atlantic Forest, which is shared by Brazil, Argentina and Paraguaycarried out by organizations from the three countries such as “one of the most promising and relevant in the world”as announced this Tuesday on Restoration Day at the COP15 climate summit taking place in Montreal, Canada.
The task was named the Global Restoration Flagship Initiative (World Restoration Flagship) of the UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration.
The job, the only one elected in Latin Americais led by the Pact for the Restoration of the Atlantic Forest (Pact) and the Trinational Network for the Restoration of the Atlantic Forest.
The Atlantic Forest, one of those with the greatest diversity of life on the planetextends along the eastern coast of Brazil and penetrates inland towards Argentina -Selva Paranaense or Misionera-, and Paraguay.
“Restoration is an inclusive system that works in a diverse and long-term way, involving various institutions. Restoring is much more than planting trees, it is assuming a commitment to the quality of life of thousands of people”
The benefits of the ecosystem that houses the Forest
It is made up of 15 ecoregions where unique species of plants and animals abound. like the jaguar, the tapir, the anteater and the yacutinga, among others.
Originally it covered more than 1.3 million square kilometres, but in the last four decades it has been significantly reduced by deforestationurbanization and productive activitiesand this Tuesday only 17% of the original forests remain.
More than 148 million people live in and depend socially, culturally, and economically on the environmental services provided by the Atlantic Forest.whose biological richness is highly varied as it contains 7% of the world’s plant species and 5% of the vertebrate animal species, many of which are endemic, which means that they do not exist anywhere else on the planet.
The award and future projects
For the nomination, the UN created a special committee composed of scientists and researchers from the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) and the IUCN (International Unit for Conservation of Nature).
With the goal of restoring 15 million hectares by 2050the Pact is a coalition that brings together more than 300 multisectoral organizations to restore the Atlantic Forest, and the members of the collectives have more than 30 years of experience in restoration in different socioeconomic and ecological contexts, reported the Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina in a statement.
“It is a door to new opportunities that allow promoting the restoration of the Atlantic Forest and generating more benefits,” said Lucía Lazzari, coordinator of terrestrial landscapes at the Foundation.
Restoration initiatives in the Atlantic Forest also promote species conservation, increase landscape connectivity, improve water quality, environmental education, participation and well-being of the local community, among other social and environmental benefits.
The nomination acknowledges that restoration is an activity that goes beyond planting trees, it promotes multiple benefits for nature and peopleand is capable of generating jobs and income.
“Restoration is an inclusive system that works in a diverse and long-term way, involving several institutions. Restoring is much more than planting trees, it is assuming a commitment to the quality of life of thousands of people,” said Taruhim Quadros, WWF Brazil Conservation Analyst and representative of the Tri-National Network for the Restoration of the Atlantic Forest.
The final decision was confirmed by the Environment Program (UNEP) and the FAO, which are the main agencies of the UN Decade.
Among the more than 20 evaluation criteria, the involvement of local communities in decision-making, the formation of coalitions, the contribution to international agreements for the reduction of emissions, the potential for growth and replicability, among others, were considered.
