Whilst there has been commendable progress in increasing areas protected for nature conservation – in line with SDG 15 and targets adopted under the Convention on Biological Diversity – biodiversity continues to decline in the Europe and Central Asia region. In June this year, UNEP, FAO and partners launched the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, which aims to prevent, to halt and to reverse the degradation of ecosystems. Ecosystem restorations drives a transformation that contributes to the achievement of all the SDGs and will be an essential part in the implementation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.   

The purpose of the session was to inspire and catalyze restoration action across the region, and to contribute to the achievement of the targets of the SDG 15. The session reviewed approaches that work and shared experiences from different countries, in particular those building upon transboundary cooperation or addressing the protection of key biodiversity areas.