United to Bring Back Nature in Europe

Everywhere you look there are stories about how nature is on the brink of collapse. And it’s true, we should be terrified at the prospect of the crisis looming over us. However, there simply isn’t time to panic. We need to transform our fear into action, and actions that we know will be effective.

A new project launched by BirdLife International, the RSPB and UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) aims to do just that. By addressing the barriers to restoring nature in Europe, the Convening for Restoration project will guide how we can overcome the issues of:

1. Lack of funding
2. Lack of political interest
3. Conflicting ideas from stakeholders

Header Image: Protected areas will allow the bison to graze without disturbing farmland © Rafał Kowalczyk

These are major challenges that are preventing progress in the restoration of nature. Although the project is based in Europe, these are universal issues and as such the outcomes will have broader implications on a Global scale.

Last year, 196 countries committed to restoring nature to 30% of degraded land, marine and inland water habitats as part of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Following the rallying call of the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, we must not only protect the nature we have left, but also bring nature back where it has been lost.

Over the next three years, thanks to funding from the Cambridge Conservation Initiative’s Endangered Landscapes Programme, this project will bring together experts across multiple sectors including finance, NGOs, conservation, policy-makers and restoration to work out the best way to solve these major barriers to restoration and lead the way in bringing back nature from the brink.

To learn more about the Convening for Restoration project, please click here for further information.