Restoring lakes for peace and sustainability

                                                                                                                                                           © UNEP

World Water Day on 22 March with its theme of “Leveraging Water for Peace” is a call to action for, among others, transboundary cooperation to conserve and restore our lakes and other freshwater resources. Efforts have been building recently in this direction.

A resolution adopted at the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) on 1 March calls on Member States to implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation, and mainstream the restoration and sustainable management of aquatic ecosystems into relevant intergovernmental processes.

In line with this, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) recently named seven initiatives from Africa, Latin America, the Mediterranean, and South Asia as UN World Restoration Flagships. They include ecosystems at the tipping point of outright degradation such as the Living Indus initiative in Pakistan, and are now eligible for technical, financial and communication support.

The flagships honour the best examples of large-scale and long-term ecosystem restoration in any country or region and embody the 10 Restoration Principles of the UN Decade. The United Nations is urging countries to apply by 30 April to be recognized as a UN World Restoration Flagship.

Countries have already promised to restore 1 billion hectares – an area larger than China – as part of international climate, nature, and land goals. The Freshwater Challenge, with 46 countries on board, is a complementary initiative targeting the restoration and protection of freshwater ecosystems supported by UNEP.

Read the full story on UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration’s website