The countries of Eastern and Southeastern Europe are taking bold action with the commitment to restore more than 4 million ha of land by 2030 under the Global Bonn Challenge. This was announced today at the Ministerial meeting organized by UNECE and FAO as part of the UN’s Decade of Ecosystem Restoration.

Today, more than 2 billion ha of land globally are deforested and degraded. causing competition for scarce land and natural resources, hunger, and threats to livelihoods. Major causes, particularly in Eastern and Southeastern Europe, are linked to not only pests, diseases, droughts, forest fires, wind damage, but also over-exploitation.