Mobilising corporate innovation for land restoration: IUCN and partners launch new report pre-publication edition at UNCCD COP17

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 24 August 2026 – IUCN launched a new report highlighting private-sector solutions to land degradation and desertification in Asian drylands during an event at the IUCN Pavilion at UNCCD COP17. Prepared by the IUCN Asia Regional Office with support from the Ant Forest Foundation, the report draws lessons from six private-sector-led initiatives across the region.

At the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17), IUCN convened a range of stakeholders and technical experts at the IUCN Pavilion in the Blue Zone for the launch of a new IUCN report, Business for Nature: Private Business Sector Solutions to Land Degradation and Desertification in Asian Drylands. Launched at the event as a “UNCCD COP17 Pre-publication Edition”, the document will be further refined into a final official version in the coming months.

Land degradation affects more than 3.2 billion people worldwide, and achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets by 2030 will require an estimated USD 1.6 trillion in additional investment – far beyond what public finance alone can provide. 24 August was the official Finance Day of UNCCD COP17, a day dedicated to mobilising public and private investment for land restoration and drought resilience, and the event was designed as a direct response to that call.

The session explored how non-state actors, such as companies, foundations, digital platforms, NGOs and civil society can bring innovation, finance and public engagement to restoration, turning it from a cost into an investable, scalable opportunity. It centred on a practical question: what works, where and why, and how proven approaches can be connected to public policy, responsible investment and national restoration priorities.

Oyunsanaa Byambasuren, Director General of Mongolia's National Forestry Agency, opened the event, bringing the perspective of the COP17 host country and emphasising the importance of sustained partnerships for restoring degraded lands and strengthening ecosystem resilience.

"Just as importantly, the analysis shows that durable results depend on partnerships that combine government leadership, scientific knowledge, community participation and transparent accountability," he said.

He was followed by Dr Dindo Campilan, Regional Director for Asia and Hub Director for Oceania, IUCN, who spoke to the role of non-state actors in complementing government-led restoration efforts.

"Business engagement is not only about providing philanthropic money – it is about being actively engaged in using available tools to redefine and reorient business models for nature," he said.

Together, the two speakers framed land restoration not only as an environmental priority but as an investment in food and water security, climate resilience, biodiversity and the livelihoods of people who depend on healthy landscapes.

Presented by its lead author, Delia Catacutan, the report compares six private sector-led initiatives across Asian drylands. Its central finding is that private business engagement extends beyond funding, and that durable public value emerges only when corporate capabilities are embedded in credible ecological design, accountable governance, local stewardship and sustained learning. The report urges private engagement to complement, not substitute for, public responsibility, with success judged by ecosystem condition and equitable benefits rather than activity counts alone.

A panel discussion during the launch event highlighted common conditions for scale, trust, stable policy space, long-term risk-taking and credible evidence, stressing that scaling must grow bottom-up, linked to community livelihoods, and that locally led efforts must be strengthened, not fragmented, by private-sector engagement.

"Land restoration does not have to be top-down. By turning everyday low-carbon acts into green energy through an incentive mechanism, and green energy into real trees, Ant Forest demonstrates how a non-state actor can mobilise millions of people to restore degraded land in a sustainable and scalable way," said Rui Dou, Deputy Secretary-General of the Ant Forest Foundation.

"Land degradation is a global challenge facing all humanity. Ecological conservation knows no borders, and we share a common destiny in green development. Standing on this important multilateral platform of COP17, we look forward to deepening practical cooperation with our partners across Asia," said Shijun Wu, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Green Foundation, who delivered closing remarks. 

The session demonstrated that non-state actors, especially the private sector, contribute more than additional finance: they shorten the distance between innovation and implementation, bring new constituencies into restoration and connect local experience with regional and global policy processes. As countries and partners work towards the 2030 LDN targets, COP17 provides a pivotal opportunity to move land restoration from isolated projects to shared delivery.

IUCN will continue to use its convening power and expertise across science, policy and practice to help governments and non-state actors form accountable, inclusive and durable partnerships – translating lessons from Asian drylands into solutions that can be adapted, financed and scaled across regions.