This think piece presents recommendations of the Science Task Force (STF) of the UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration, led by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and comprised of leading subject experts as specific actions to be undertaken by public and private stakeholders to sustain and restore the diverse and functioning ecosystems essential for human wellbeing and the preservation of biodiversity. These are to be aligned with ongoing efforts to scale up the prevention and reversal of ecosystem degradation globally. It provides a framework of questions, key messages and recommendations.