IUCN and the UN Decade Ecosystem Restoration Hub Webinar: Success Stories and Guidance from the Americas and Caribbean

Launched by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) in 2021, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is a global commitment to connect and empower bodies around the world to act together to prevent, halt and reverse the effects of land degradation through ecosystem restoration. The UN Decade Ecosystem Restoration Hub is the dedicated knowledge sharing platform of the Decade and is more importantly the digital meeting place of the movement. IUCN is a referring partner of the movement and thus works to advance the mission and messages of the Hub. This webinar served as an important place to connect the Union and the broader restoration community to advance the UN Decade Hub's goals.  

The webinar opened with a brief intervention by Emilly Niringiye, UNEP Digital-Ecosystems Interface Specialist, who introduced the Hub as a crucial tool to better understand how and where restoration is happening under the UN Decade. She went on to explain how, along with serving as a location for implementers to self-report data, it is also a unique space to get discovered, build support, and spark connection to further restoration beyond 2030.  

Following this introduction, IUCN North American Regional Office (NARO) Director, Tracy Farrell, presented on restoration work taking place across North America. While the region only consists of 2 countries, Canada and the United States, it houses more than 150 IUCN Member organisations that focus on combating a range of land degradation issues like wildfire, flooding, drought, and climate change across diverse ecosystems. Furthermore, Farrell highlighted policy and increased connectivity as defining themes of restoration in the region, emphasizing that government and the larger conservation community must work together to develop joint benefits.  

Next, Ursula Parilla, IUCN Regional Director for Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean (ORMACC), introduced the ORMACC region. Her intervention emphasized that restoration work in the region is centred on the idea that restoration is not just reviving lands but also building enabling conditions to enhance and recover socioeconomic factors in addition to environment. Countries do not need a one-size-fits-all approach but rather need tailored restoration plans that compare all available knowledge. Subsequently, through monitoring tools like ROAM, ORMACC is working to move from commitments to evidence based restoration action.  

To finish the large-scale regional overview, Robert Hofstede, UNEP Advisor on Sustainable Development and Environment, introduced the UNEP Latin-American Regional Action Plan (RAP) for ecosystem restoration. The plan is centred around the idea that nature is the basis of the region's identity, economy and wellbeing, and the natural wealth of Latin America and the Caribbean is the region's pride. Thus, large scale restoration is the best response to the multiple challenges at hand. RAP works to accelerate this action—building collective understating, encouraging effective partnerships, scaling restoration work, and mobilizing investments for sustainability.  

Following these overviews, the webinar invited several restoration initiative leaders to highlight existing initiatives in the Hub. First, Kristen Lear, Co-Founder and Director of the Agave Restoration Initiative at Bat Conservation International, presented the Agave Restoration Initiative. The project is dedicated to restoring an agave corridor for threatened bats and people across 1,200 kilometres of land in Mexico and the United States. To date, the project has restored 5,800 hectares of land, supporting livelihoods, mitigating climate change, strengthening knowledge, and reviving species and ecosystems.  

Next, Orsibal Ramirez, IUCN ORMACC Resilient Highlands Project Coordinator, presented on the Ecosystem-based Adaptation in Guatemala’s Western Highlands. This initiative aims to strengthen ecosystem services through land management to improve water availability while enhancing social and institutional capacity to respond to climate change. As of 2026, the project has restored 37,732.28 hectares of land—reducing climate vulnerability and benefiting local communities.  

Finally, IUCN South America Regional Office (SUR) Programme Officer, Maria Belen Valenzuela, provided information on two project taking place in the diverse ecosystems of South America. First, the Peru Dry Forest Initiative that has worked to restore 2278 hectares with the express goal of upkeeping agricultural production to benefit both people and nature. Second, the IKI Grasslands project, which aims to protect and revive overlooked grassland ecosystems in Argentina, Paraguay, and Colombia.  

These case studies are just a small sample of the restoration work being done to advance the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration across the Americas. The full library of restoration initiatives submitted to the Decade can be found on the UN Decade Ecosystem Restoration Hub.  

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