Overview and FAO contribution

Over 2 billion ha of land – put together, an area the size of South America – are currently degraded globally, with a resulting loss of fertile soils, biodiversity and carbon stock. The Forest and Landscape Restoration Mechanism (FLRM) is working to help countries restore degraded forests and landscapes by identifying and implementing practices that restore a balance of the ecological, social and economic benefits of forests and trees within a broader pattern of land uses.

Europe and Central Asia

Over 2.5 million ha of forest landscape will be restored by countries in the Caucasus and Central Asia under the Bonn Challenge by 2030. The commitment was made by Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan at the first Ministerial Roundtable on Forest Landscape Restoration and the Bonn Challenge in the Caucasus and Central Asia, held 21–22 June 2018 in Astana, Kazakhstan. The meeting also adopted the Astana Resolution, which committed the region to going beyond 2.5 million ha and to strengthening partnerships and regional cooperation to this end.

The countries with FAO field-level activities in Southeast Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia (including Turkey) account for over 61 million ha of forests and other wooded lands, which would cover an area almost the size of France. Forest and landscape restoration (FLR) in this area is critical for supporting livelihoods and local economies, preventing soil erosion and desertification, enhancing biodiversity, and contributing to global climate change mitigation and adaptation targets.

More specifically, the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, in Budapest, and the FAO Subregional Office for Central Asia, in Ankara, currently support projects on forest and landscape restoration issues in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Serbia and Turkey.

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