Humanity faces interconnected crises that threaten to push societies and nature to the brink. These issues – from mass species extinctions and climate change to land degradation, pollution, grinding rural poverty, and broken food systems – are complex and entwined. That’s why the world needs integrated solutions designed to accelerate impactful remedies to multiple problems simultaneously.
To move society closer to these answers, EcoAgriculture Partners has partnered with the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (UNDER) initiative on behalf of 1000 Landscapes for 1 Billion People (1000L). This is EcoAg’s latest collaboration to help achieve its mission of promoting resilient and equitable nature conservation, food system improvement, and sustainable development.
UNDER, which addresses the urgent need to restore ecosystems worldwide, has a complementary vision and mission to EcoAg. Together, we will work with the global community to achieve the ambitious goals of preventing, halting, and reversing ecosystem degradation.
Uniting Expertise with a Community-Led Approach
Joining forces with UNDER, EcoAg, and 1000L will increase our work in developing and implementing innovative solutions that restore ecosystems and promote livelihood improvement, food security, and resilience in the face of a changing climate. EcoAg and 1000L will advocate for these solutions to be anchored in a community-led, landscape-scale approach to sustainable development.
EcoAg and our partners created 1000L to pursue this audacious and locally focused approach. 1000L’s work on capacity building is just one example of this innovative framework. We develop training modules to help communities boost participation in collective decision-making and leadership and empower individuals to increase their income sustainably. At the heart of this work, 1000L co-develops practical, adaptable curricula with communities in over 50 landscapes worldwide.
“We use our work to connect individuals with the resources they need to empower a landscape approach, we particularly support inclusive local leadership,” said Bemmy Maharramli, EcoAg’s director of innovation in landscape management. “Leaders on the ground have a rich knowledge and contextual understanding of their land and what will work and what won’t.”
Our collaboration with UNDER will amplify our impact as we engage with communities worldwide to restore degraded landscapes and improve the well-being of local populations.
Advocating for Policy Change, Innovation, and Technology
EcoAg advocates for policy changes that support sustainable agriculture and communities while restoring nature. We aim to influence governments and institutions to adopt policies enabling local people to decide how they want to use their land and natural resources.
“UNDER is a powerful way for EcoAg to propel 1000L to connect with ecosystem restoration leaders around the world–in the field, in policy, and in finance,” said Sara Scherr, EcoAg’s president and CEO and chair of 1000L. “We look forward to sharing our tools and services for holistic landscape-scale restoration with them and deepening our work through their inputs.”
At EcoAg, we believe that humankind can find true sustainability at the intersection of agriculture, economics, and ecology. By supporting UNDER, we reinforce our commitment to creating a balance between human activities and the natural world, fostering a planet that thrives for current and future generations.
The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, led by the United Nations Environment Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and its partners, covers terrestrial as well as coastal and marine ecosystems. As a global call to action, it will draw together political support, scientific research, and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration. Find out how you can contribute to the UN Decade. Follow #GenerationRestoration.