Restoration

Problem: Over 3.2 billion people are impacted by land degradation worldwide¹

Solution: Restoration can directly benefit rural communities by increasing their resilience to climate change, building their resource base, and even addressing gender disparities²

Problem: In order to stay below a 1.5°C climate tipping point, we need to remove 100-1000 gigatons of CO2 by 2100¹

Solution: Restoration could remove 400 gigatons of CO₂ by 2100²

Problem: Every year, land degradation costs 10% of global GDP²

Solution: Every $1 invested in restoration generates, on average, 10 times that amount in benefits²

Problem: Less than 30 million hectares of land have been put under restoration since 2011³

Solution: Over 1 billion hectares are available to restore without impacting food security⁴

To accelerate restoration around the world, Conservation International is working with governments to develop policies that prioritize assisted natural regeneration — the most cost-effective kind of restoration from a climate perspective — and helping to build restoration livelihoods so local communities can earn a living while also helping the planet.

In addition to mitigating climate change by capturing and storing carbon, restoration can generate additional benefits for people, particularly indigenous and local communities and the rural poor who rely on forests for food and livelihoods. Science shows that restored landscapes and seascapes can improve resilience to climate change, including the capacity of ecosystems and societies to adapt.