Event Report : Forest and Restoration Day at Nature’s Climate Hub On Sunday, September 22 at the Nature’s Climate Hub, a coalition of civil society, governments,

multilateral institutions, and indigenous peoples gathered for Forest and Restoration Day. The event

occurred on the margins of the UN Secretary-Genera’s Climate Summit during Climate Week. It was the

first day of a four-day series of events in collaboration with Nature4Climate to celebrate and endorse

nature’s role as a climate solution. The Nature4Climate coalition and event participants explored what is

happening around the world on forests and restoration and dove deeper into the solutions to shift from

land degradation and exploitation to protection, restoration, and sustainable use of forest landscapes.

There were more than 30 sessions showcasing government actions and national policies; recognizing the

efforts of and learning from indigenous peoples and local communities; and discussing mobilizing finance,

private sector action and deforestation-free commodities, the role of science and technology, scaling up

restoration, and multi-sectoral initiatives and commitments.

“On the eve of the UN Secretary

General’s Climate Summit, there is

a need to reposition forests as a

development, security, safety, and

climate agenda item.” –Jamison

Ervin, Manager, Global Progamme

on Nature for Development, UNDP Photo by Meridian Institute

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The hallways of the Hub were full of energy

as people from different walks of life and

diverse sectors assembled to amplify a

common message: that we cannot keep

global warming below 1.5 degrees C or

achieve sustainable economic and social

development without protecting, restoring

and sustainably managing forests. Below is

a summary of the day’s events. The full

program and event descriptions are

available here.

“Today we are going to feel the freedom to take action…we are not united to save

the indigenous [peoples], we are united to save the planet. Nature is home. Nature

is life. That is why it is important that every person, that every human being, act in

their own home, in their hearts.”- Tzam Tigre Tzamarenda, Shuar shaman from

the Ecuadorian Amazon

Opening & Welcome Blessing: Sachem HawkStorm of the Schaghticoke First Nation opened Forest and

Restoration Day and the Nature’s Climate Hub by offering a powerful welcome to country and the land of

his ancestors. He was joined by Chief Tashka Yawanawa from the Brazilian Amazon, as well as by Tzam

Tigre Tzamarenda, a Shuar shaman from the Ecuadorian Amazon, who offered a traditional blessing to

commence the week, calling for action and solidarity to help reverse the impacts of environmental

destruction and escalating climate change. He invited attendees to raise their hands in a prayer with the

words, “we are united to save the planet.” To see video coverage of the welcome ceremony and these

inspiring voices, click here.

“Our relationship with nature is about love and respect because nature gives us

everything we need to survive. This is the final call to wake up, take awareness,

take action, change how we live.”- Chief Tashka Yawanawa, Yawanawa

indigenous leader, Brazilian Amazon

The Nature’s Climate Hub has been made possible by the funding and support of Nature4Climate,

the United Nations Development Programme, New York Declaration of Forests, Conservation

International, World Conservation Society, The Nature Conservancy, Youth4Nature, and The

German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.

Photo by PROAmazonia, Ecuador

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Forest Day by Numbers:

6 events presented or organized by forest countries

6 events organized by UN Agencies including, UNDP, UNEP, UN REDD, and FAO

8 events hosted by non-governmental organizations

7 events hosted with and by indigenous peoples and local communities

11 Big Idea Talks were given by youth representatives, a Minister from Gabon, a UN Agency,

several NGOs, an indigenous representative, a religious leader, and a representative from

academia.

6 reports related to forests and climate launched and disseminated by leading experts on forest

and climate science and policy

5 exhibits displayed in the hallways throughout the day including a photo exhibit from If Not Us

Then Who; an immersive artistic installation called BREATHE by Chilean artist Denise-Lira

Ratinoff; a presentation of a spatial data tool for conservation planning called UN Biodiversity

Lab; a virtual reality experience called ‘Under the Canopy’ by Conservation International; and a

story-telling exhibition with Youth4Nature.

“More than ever, we need to decarbonize the mind of all the leaders and heads of

state in government. We need to restore and clean their thoughts and to reforest

the hearts of everybody.”–Sônia Guajajara, indigenous leader, activist and

politician, Brazil

Summary of Events by Theme: Big Idea Talks: This session included a series of 11 TED-style talks about different ‘Big Ideas’ related to

nature-based solutions for climate. Videos of each talk will be available soon.

1. Mapping the Connections: Nature, Climate, Sustainable Development by Nicole DeSantis and

Anne Virnig, UNDP

2. Planting a Climate Change Solution with 1,000 Trees for Every Global Youth, Kaitlin and Lauren

Griersen, TreesCO2

3. Getting a Real and Credible Picture of Restoration Progress by Radhika Dave, Bonn Challenge

Barometer, IUCN

4. Central African Forests for a Cooler Future by H.E. Lee White, Minister for Forests, Sea, the

Environment and Climate Plan, Gabon

1. Sessions 5-10 were part of a thematic session focused on the Amazon

5. Amazonia Imperative by Dr. Daniela Raik, Conservation International

6. Brazil Imperative by Dr. Rachel Biderman, WRI Brazil

7. How the Laudato Si can save the Amazon by Reverend Séamus Finn, Interfaith Center on

Corporate Responsibility

8. Amazonia 4.0 by Dr. Carlos Nobre, Institute of Advanced Studies, University of Sao Paulo

9. The Green Gold: the True Value of the Amazon in the Sustainable Harvest and Protection of Its

BIOdiversity by Jorge Lopez Doriga, AJE Group

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10. The Voice of the Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon, Tuntiak Katan, Global Alliance of Territorial

Communities & COICA

11. The Age of Accountability: Driving Corporate and Financial Sustainability Through Data

Transparency by Sarah Lake, Climate Advisers.

Government Action and National Policy: Central Africa Forest Initiative: African leaders’ solution to meet the climate and poverty challenge

(Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) & Central African Forest Governments): Central Africa is home to

the second largest tropical forest basin in the world, i.e. the surface of Western Europe and 90% of Africa’s

dense humid forests. It stores the equivalent of about 70 billion tons of carbon (equivalent to 5-10 years

of global emissions), 30% of which is in peatlands; it provides food, medicine, shelter and fuel for 60 million

people living in forests or in proximity. In addition, 40 million living in urban centers are dependent on the

forest. The countries of the region have some of the lowest deforestation rates in the world but receive

only a fraction of climate finance. Senior representatives of governments, NGOs, private sector and

partners discussed the importance

and values of this forest; the

commitments made by countries

including donors; the results achieved

and opportunities to develop a new

paradigm in sustainable forest

management. See a video of Gabon’s

contribution to the UN Climate

Summit here and a video of Gabon

and Norway’s historic 150 million US

dollar agreement which also raises

the per ton price of carbon dioxide

equivalent avoided (CO2e) from USD

5 to USD 10 here.

Forests4Peace Colombia (UNDP Colombia): Three women community leaders from the most biodiverse

regions of Colombia who are affected by violence, presented their nature-based products and solutions

to climate change. Participants included the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of

Colombia Ricardo Lozano, the High Councilor for Stabilization and Consolidation of Colombia Emilio

Archila and the UNDP Resident Representative in Colombia Jessica Faieta. Forests4Peace Colombia

highlighted how communities affected by climate change and a war that lasted more than 50 years are

now building sustainable peace and a resilient future hand in hand with the Government of Colombia and

UNDP. See the press release here and the full recording of the session here. Watch the Women Leaders

Forests4Peace trailer here. Meet the Leaders here: Yennifer Martínez, Raquel Espinosa and Carmen

Rodríguez.

Photo by Meridian Institute

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“We cannot achieve the global warming goal of 1.5°C without nature, nor without

communities and governments. This is what Forests4Peace is about: driving

climate action, strengthening local solutions like the ones Raquel, Yennifer and

Carmen are carrying out together with the Government that make a vital

contribution from Colombia to the planet.”- Jessica Faieta, UNDP Resident

Representative in Colombia

Catalyzing forest solutions to the climate emergency (UN-REDD Programme): This event was moderated

by Ms. Mette Wilkie, Director, Forestry Policy and Resources Division, FAO, in which she highlighted the

importance of recognizing forests as a requisite front of action in the global fight against climate change

– thanks to their unparalleled capacity to absorb and store carbon. The event demonstrated ways in which

UN-REDD continues to support countries in increasing and mainstreaming forests within Nationally

Determined Contributions (NDCs) and national development plans. Read more here.

“Awareness of the need for forest action has never been greater. We are seeing positive momentum and opportunity to take action on forests

worldwide – driven by governments, civil-society organizations and businesses. We can best face and overcome crises through joint, creative action.”- Mette

Wilkie, Director, Forestry Policy and Resources Division, FAO

Tasting the flavour of the Amazonia: Green forests, green businesses (Ecuador): The Ministers of

Agriculture, Environment and Production, together with representatives of international cooperation,

communities and the private sector, highlighted achievements of the PROAmazonía programto a

community of experts, and international organizations and companies linked to sustainable development.

Read more here and watch the full video coverage of the event here.

Integrating nature-based solutions in the NDCs to enhance ambition and impact (UNDP): Maximizing

the potential of nature-based solutions (NBS) to enhance NDCs and accelerate implementation will be

critical to meeting the Paris Agreement goals. This event presented the current and potential contribution

of NBS to deliver on the climate mitigation and adaptation goals represented in countries’ NDCs, as well

as showcased how nature-based actions contribute to achievement of the SDGs and national

development priorities. The event presented opportunities to increase national climate mitigation and

adaptation action and ambition through integration of other NBS-related commitments, strategies and

plans into the NDCs in order to scale cost-effective, proven nature-based solutions that have multiple co-

benefits. REDD+ was highlighted as an example of a key, high-mitigation potential NBS and countries

shared their experiences on integrating REDD+ into their NDCs and NDC implementation plans. Lessons

learned from the utilization of spatial data and development of forest monitoring systems as well as

experiences with accessing REDD+ finance were also featured. Resource: Pathway for Increasing Nature-

Based Solutions in the NDCs

5 great forests of Mesoamerica — A regional initiative for climate, biodiversity and sustainable

development (WCS): Representatives from the 8 Central American countries are developing a joint

initiative to conserve the 5 Great Forests of Mesoamerica: the Maya Forest between Belize, Guatemala,

and Mexico, La Moskitia between Honduras and Nicaragua, Indio Maíz-Tortuguero between Nicaragua

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and Costa Rica, Talamanca between Costa Rica and Panama, and the Darién that extends from Panama to

Colombia. The initiative will: 1. Address the drivers of deforestation – especially illegal cattle ranching, 2.

Improve forest governance by strengthening management of protected areas, community forests, and

indigenous territories; and 3. Improve livelihoods with forest-friendly and climate resilient economic

alternatives. In the event, Costa Rica Minister of Environment and Energy Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, a

champion for the initiative, discussed the importance of the initiative and progress to date;

donors/funders identified commitments that are worth investing in; and civil society, Indigenous Peoples,

private sector and other stakeholders discussed their engagement on the ground and reflected on the

importance of and threats to these amazing forests. Read more here. Watch a video here.

Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities, and Local Action: Frontline climate and conservation stories from Equator prize winners (The Nature Conservancy):

Representatives of indigenous and local communities spoke of their local, nature-based solutions for

fighting climate change through traditional land, water and watershed management; fighting degradation

and generating income through carbon sales; empowering indigenous communities; and improving near

shore fisheries and food security.

Securing Rights to Secure Nature-Based Solutions to Climate Change (IPMG, RRI, Tenure Facility):

Research shows that lands managed by Indigenous Peoples and local communities with secure rights

experience lower rates of deforestation, store more carbon, hold more biodiversity, and benefit more

people than lands managed by either public or private entities. This event demonstrated how securing

community land rights is a scalable nature-based solution to climate change. Panelists shared evidence of

where investing in community land rights has had sustainable environmental and social impact; and

highlighted pathways for scaling-up implementation. Panelists included: Rukka Sombolinggi, Secretary

General of AMAN, Indonesia; Julio Cusurichi, President of FENAMAD, Peru; Candida Derek, Vice President

of MASTA, Honduras; David Silakan, Coordinator of the PARAN Alliance, Kenya; and Alain Frechette,

Director of Strategic Analysis and Global Engagement at RRI.

Beyond forest-based solutions: The forest communities, a neglected asset (COICA, AMAN, AMPB, APIB):

Representative organizations of forest territories were among the signatories of the New York Forest

Declaration in 2014, committing to protect 400 million hectares of tropical forests, with the objective of

mitigating climate change. Some of these organizations have been consolidating into a Global Alliance of

Territorial Communities, representing 17 countries, which aims to demonstrate the capacities of the

communities that populate the tropical forest territories of the planet. Its members are the Coordination

of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA), the Alliance of Indigenous Communities of the

Archipelago (AMAN), the Mesoamerican Alliance of Forests and Peoples (AMPB), the Articulation of

Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), and REPALEC from DRC.

In order to fulfill their commitment, these organizations have been working at the community level,

including strengthening their capacities to take advantage of new technology. During the event, a panel

presented examples of these experiences:

ORPIO, in Peru, has a network of monitors that use satellite alerts on their smartphones to discover illegal logging.

ACOFOP, in Guatemala, has a fleet of 15 drones to monitor fires in community forests, whose information it shares with the state entity in charge of the Maya Biosphere Reserve.

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AMAN has BRWA, an organization dedicated to the mapping of indigenous territories, which already has 9 million hectares mapped.

The Tembé people in Brazil have set up a system to listen to the sounds of the forests with recycled cell phones to detect loggers.

Finally, Gregorio Mirabal, head of COICA and Rukka Sombolinghi, head of AMAN, summarized the conclusions from these initiatives and proposed scaling up these capacities to contribute more efficiently to fight climate change.

Inclusive forest action for the climate crisis: Mainstreaming gender and the rights of indigenous peoples

and local communities (UN-REDD Programme, UNDP Climate and Forests): Through sharing personal

experiences, concrete cases and films this UN-REDD event demonstrated how marginalized groups, such

as women and indigenous peoples, meaningfully engage and participate in national REDD+ processes and

action. It discussed concrete approaches of participation that are aimed at ensuring that sustainable

management of forests through policies, actions, and financial mechanisms is inclusive, notably in terms

of mainstreaming gender and promoting indigenous peoples and forest-based communities’ rights. The

session achieved the following:

combined thought-provoking perspectives with innovative bottom-up approaches and engaging

discussion;

addressed the key role that women, indigenous peoples, and local communities play in land and

forest management;

highlighted how to go beyond ‘doing no harm’, and instead achieve a gender-responsive

approach of ‘doing better’;

underlined the importance of an inclusive and rights-based approach in order to achieve the

transformational change needed in climate action, while contributing to multiple SDGs; and

aimed to inspire stakeholders to harness the opportunities of policy and finance not only for

climate action but also for advancing the rights of indigenous peoples and promoting gender

equality.

Indigenuity: Unlocking Indigenous Solutions to the Climate Crisis (Center for Native Peoples and the

Environment at State University of New York, Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force, The Nature

Conservancy, Natural Resources Defense Fund): Underpinning our climate crisis is a societal belief that

economic growth at all costs is acceptable and that any negative long-term impacts of this approach can

be ameliorated through future ingenuity. The world needs both concrete solutions to immediate threats

as well as a paradigm shift to embrace greater relationship and responsibility to the natural world and

future generations. Both of these can be found in Indigenous approaches to lands and waters stewardship.

80% of biodiversity remaining in the world is now located on Indigenous lands, showing the importance

of their cultures and traditional knowledge that have maintained resilient ecological systems. This session

grounded participants in indigenous worldviews of people’s reciprocity and interconnectedness with

nature. It highlighted more sustainable, Indigenous-led paradigms and presented concrete examples

where Indigenous worldviews, stewardship approaches, and on-the-ground guardians are protecting

carbon-rich forests from entrenched short-term economic interests. It made the case for more inclusive

collaborations that engage Indigenous leaders. This panel provided a foundation for attendees to design

concrete actions that will help advance climate solutions in their sectors. Read more here.

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World Premiere: Protecting the Heart of Mexico - Subnational Climate Action to Re-Green the Planet (World Land Trust, Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda): World Land Trust and Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda IAP co-organized three screenings and panel discussions on September 22, 23 and 25th. The world premiere of the documentary film was met with emotion and surprise, as well as the insights from our guest speakers. World Land Trust will release the film online after the first public showing in London in October. Read more here.

Tribes on the Edge, a documentary by Céline Cousteau

(CauseCentric Productions, Céline Cousteau): Tribes on

the Edge is a documentary produced by CauseCentric Productions, directed, produced, and co-written by

Céline Cousteau. The film explores the timely topics of land threats, health crises, and human rights issues

of the indigenous peoples of the Vale do Javari in the Brazilian Amazon, demonstrating that the survival

of these communities is critical to the planet’s fight against climate change. This is a story that exemplifies

the founding principles of Nature’s Climate Hub as it invokes the critical importance of respect and care –

for land, culture, and humanity. More than a film, Tribes on the Edge has grown into a movement driven

by a passionate effort to enact tangible impact through Action, Communication and Education (ACE)

initiatives. Cousteau’s presentation of Tribes on the Edge at Nature’s Climate Hub reminded us all that

our survival depends on our actions – to support and protect the people and the ecosystems they

safeguard for the benefit of us all. Read more here.

Meet the Equator Prize 2019 Winners (UNDP, Equator Initiative): At this informal Meet & Greet, Hub

participants had the chance to meet this year’s inspiring Equator Prize winners. A few of the winners

briefly presented the impact of their organization’s work, and explained how they contribute to the

protection, sustainable management, and restoration of the forests we all need to avert the climate crisis.

This interactive session gave participants an opportunity to talk with the winners ahead of their big

moment, the Equator Prize 2019 Award Ceremony on 24 September. The Equator Prize is awarded to

outstanding indigenous peoples and local communities that address climate change and reduce poverty

through the conservation and sustainable use of nature. The 22 Equator Prize 2019 winners are

protecting, restoring and sustainably managing forest, marine, grassland, dryland and wetland

ecosystems to address climate and environmental crises. In the process, they have created several

thousand jobs and livelihoods, improved food and water security for hundreds of communities, protected

endangered wildlife, and decreased risks from natural disasters. The communities reinvest revenues

generated by their initiatives into water supply, education, women’s economic training and other

development goals. For more information, visit www.equatorinitiative.org.

North & South: Two indigenous leaders share their perspectives on nature, forests and climate (Tribal

Link Foundation): People’s perspectives are often transformed by others through storytelling. Stories

provide an opportunity to empathize with and better understand difficult or uncomfortable subjects. This

session highlighted the wisdom of indigenous leaders from the South and the North who shared their

perspectives on relationships with nature, forest initiatives, and climate change. This session featured a

conversation with Chief Tashka Yawanawa of the Yawanawa peoples of Brazil’s Amazon rainforest and

Chief Robert HawkStorm Birch of the Schaghticoke First Nation from the Northeastern US. Michael

Ventura, CEO of Sub Rosa and author of “Applied Empathy,” facilitated the conversation. A talkback

Photo by Grupo

Ecológico Sierra Gorda

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segment engaged and encouraged audience members to share why they were at the event, why they care

about forests, and how they feel about the indigenous perspectives shared. Click here for full video

coverage of the session. Here are specific clips from the event focusing on Amazon mobilization and

“maybe we needed this crisis.”

Mobilizing Finance: #GreenYourWallet: A Financial Response to the Climate Crisis (UNDP): This #GreenYourWallet event was

the start of a call to action, beginning with those who walk the talk on mobilizing green finance. It was the

catalyst needed to accelerate and amplify industry-wide demand and commitment. The panel inspired

participants to rethink and redirect capital to help deliver on the promise of a climate-smart future. Here

is the full video of the session as well as quotes galore from the panel.

Emergent and ART: A new structure for scaling finance for tropical forest protection (EDF, NICFI, Climate

and Forest Capital, Meridian Institute): Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) publicly launched two parallel

initiatives to help scale finance for tropical forest conservation: Emergent Forest Finance Accelerator

(Emergent), and the Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART). Emergent is a new nonprofit finance

facility established by EDF in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation, the government of Norway,

and other partners that will help corporations and other buyers to easily access credits from jurisdictional

level forest protection programs that meet the highest environmental and social standards, while

providing guaranteed long-term demand to forest jurisdictions and facilitating access to a range of private

buyers. Emergent will rely on the ART, which will provide a rigorous standard comprehensive process to

transparently register, verify and issue emission reduction credits that will be fungible in carbon offset

markets, to assure the quality of good credits. Emergent and ART are dedicated to mobilizing large-scale

finance for national and subnational tropical forest and climate protection programs at the speed required

to combat the climate crisis. Resources: Emergent website, ART website.

Private Sector Action and Deforestation-free Commodities: Pathway to Achieving Deforestation-Free Commitments, a Public and Private Sector Perspective (WWF,

Climate Focus): During this session, representatives from civil society, governments and leading

companies took stock of the progress on commitments and discussed what needs to happen to accelerate

the pace of halting deforestation and ecosystem conversion. Shortly before the event WWF and Climate

Focus published a Discussion paper on the critical role of policies for deforestation and conversion-free

supply chains. Participants agreed that more

meaningful public-private sector

collaborations are needed to achieve this as

well as the need for joint monitoring

mechanisms, including maps and tools such

as the Accountability Framework.

Resources: WWF statement on New York

Declaration on Forests Progress Assessment,

Turning the New York Declaration on Forests

to New York Action on Forests.

Photo by WWF

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“How do we push not for incremental improvements but a full transformation has been missing from the dialogue,” said Kevin Rabinovitch, Global VP

Sustainability and Chief Climate Officer, Mars

Produce, Conserve, Include: Corporate engagement in a jurisdictional approach in Mato Grosso

(Environmental Defense Fund): Environmental Defense Fund organized an event to highlight corporate

actions to support the Produce, Conserve, Include initiative (PCI)—Mato Grosso, Brazil’s sustainable

development strategy. Through the PCI, Mato Grosso has committed to a robust set of goals that will

increase agricultural productivity while reducing deforestation. These goals could avoid over 6 gigatons of

emissions by 2030. During the event, Governor Mauro Mendes of Mato Grosso reaffirmed his support for

the PCI, and shared his plan to eliminate illegal deforestation through investment in a satellite monitoring

system to enable real-time environmental law enforcement. Corporate leaders from Amaggi and Marfrig

spoke about how they are supporting the PCI by linking investments in their supply chain to the state’s

broader goals. The session sent a clear message that development does not need to come at the expense

of forests, and that public-private partnerships such as those in Mato Grosso can be scaled to drive

transformative change. Resources: Produce, Conserve, Include overview page; PCI Pitchbook: an overview

of projects ripe for corporate engagement in Mato Grosso that layer into PCI’s goals; Video on the

Araguaia League, one of the PCI Pitchbook Priority Projects; and an animated video about the jurisdictional

approach.

Closing the accountability loop: assessing progress toward deforestation-free supply chains (Meridian

Institute): This session engaged participants in a robust discussion on measuring and demonstrating

progress against no-deforestation commitments in order to drive accountability across forest-risk

commodity sectors. Panelists representing agricultural commodity producers and buyers as well as

initiatives that track, assess, and facilitate reporting on corporate commitments related to deforestation-

free supply chains reflected on the challenges, opportunities, and upcoming priorities for the reporting

and assessment space.

Science and Technology: Meet the Scientists: Trouble Below the Canopy: the climate costs of unseen forest degradation (WCS,

WWF): During this session, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the University of Queensland

presented exciting new science on the value of intact forests for carbon sequestration and the impact of

their continued deforestation. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring

Centre presented new research showing an alarming decline of global forest wildlife populations and

made the climate change case for why this matters, using a connected new piece of ground-breaking

global analysis on the role of wildlife in forest regeneration and carbon storage. Read the reports here:

Below the Canopy: plotting global trends in forest wildlife populations & Quantifying the impacts of

defaunation on natural forest regeneration in a global meta-analysis.

Using Spatial Data to Advance Nature-based Solutions for Climate Change (UNDP, FAO): How can we

ensure that stakeholders at the local, national, and international levels take action for nature and climate

using cutting-edge science? During this event, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) explored a sampling of tools and platforms that provide

access to spatial data for forest monitoring and conservation planning purposes. UNDP showcased the UN

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Biodiversity Lab and its tools and key features to support biodiversity reporting and monitoring and the

implementation of national policies. FAO showed how Open Foris can be used to support policymakers to

conduct national-level analyses on forest monitoring for climate action; they also launched the new SEPAL

2.1 Platform. Equator Prize 2019 Winner, Comunidades Nativas de Nuevo Saposoa y Patria Nueva de

Mediación Callería from Peru, explored how communities can effectively use satellite imagery and mobile

phone apps to rapidly detect and respond to illegal deforestation. Read more about this session and see

the presentations here.

Forest Restoration: Beyond tree planting: Unlocking natural regeneration to cost-effectively sequester carbon

(Conservation International): We have less than 10 years. We now know that, in order to avoid

catastrophic climate change, carbon must be actively and rapidly removed from the atmosphere.

Ecosystem restoration is currently the only approach available to do this at scale. Restoration has the

potential to provide over 15% of the climate mitigation solution needed to keep atmospheric

temperatures from rising above 1.5 degrees Celsius. Governments, NGOs, and the private sector are

rallying around restoration as an opportunity to heal a dying planet. But meeting the global need by using

current restoration approaches could cost over USD$800 billion. How do we cost-effectively restore

landscapes, sequester carbon, fix damaged habitats, and provide livelihoods for over 3.2 billion people

who currently suffer the effects of land degradation? This event began to answer these questions by

making the case for assisted natural regeneration, the ability of ecosystems to restore themselves if

they’re given a little help. Leading scientists discussed how countries and organizations can develop cost-

effective approaches to landscape forest restoration in order to rise to the planetary need. The session

ended with a video of the development of the largest restoration program in the Brazilian Amazon.

Speakers included Bronson Griscom (Conservation International), Manuel Guariguata (CIFOR), and

Jennifer Powers (University of Minnesota), moderated by Nikola Alexandre (Conservation International).

New forest landscape restoration initiative in Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia to unlock climate

action (IUCN): Forest landscape restoration (FLR) is a Nature-based Solution that delivers mitigation and

adaptation outcomes. It is at the crux of global goals such as the Bonn Challenge, SDGs, Paris Agreement,

and Land Degradation Neutrality. Multiple efforts are underway to mainstream FLR within land and forest-

based targets in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by facilitating action on the ground and

raising ambition for the next round of NDC submissions. Countries as diverse as Azerbaijan, Armenia,

Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Scotland in Europe, the Caucasus, and

Central Asia (ECCA) are rising to the restoration opportunity. The new initiative aims to bring 30 million

hectares of degraded and deforested landscapes in ECCA into restoration by 2030, in support of the Bonn

Challenge, the New York Declaration on Forests and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. This

initiative will generate partnerships and promote knowledge sharing on climate change mitigation and

adaptation potential of FLR among governments, private actors, and other stakeholders, to mobilize

financial resources and technical support for implementation. The event featured short TED Flash talks

from restoration champions and a moderated exchange with the audience including live polling. Speakers

included: Madame Minister Svenja Schulze, Germany; Representatives of Kazakhstan, Georgia, Italy and

Poland; Dr Grethel Aguilar, Acting Director General, IUCN; and Karin Kemper, World Bank. Read more

about the initiative here.

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Consultation on the UN decade on ecosystem restoration (2021-2030) (UNEP): The UN Decade of

Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030 was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) as

resolution A/RES/73/284 on 1st March 2019, following the invitation to the General Assembly by the

Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity at its fourteenth meeting, in its

decisions 14/30. The UNGA invited the United Nations Environment Programme and the Food and

Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to lead the implementation of the Decade, in collaboration

with the secretariats of the Rio conventions, other relevant multilateral environmental agreements and

entities of the United Nations system, including by identifying and developing possible activities and

programmes, within their mandates and existing resources, and through voluntary contributions, as

appropriate. This consultation invited participants to share their views, expectations, advice, and guidance

on how to make the Decade impactful, and how to link with other existing and forthcoming International

Decades, and with relevant International Days.

Multi-stakeholder and Multi-Sectoral Action:

NYDF 5-Year Anniversary and Leadership

event (NYDF Global Platform): The day

concluded with the NYDF 5-Year

Anniversary Event, where endorsers and

NYDF partners gathered to reflect on the

progress and challenges in confronting

deforestation and restoration to date, and

explore emerging solutions and seeds of

hope. The event presented two important

reports that paint a picture of the status of

global deforestation and restoration and

highlight individual and localized progress

to date, setting the stage for the coming

years of much-needed urgent forest action: The NYDF 5-Year Assessment Report, and the NYDF Endorser

Perspectives Report. Gabon and Norway, through the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI), announced

a historic 150 million US dollar agreement which also raises the per ton price of carbon dioxide equivalent

avoided (CO2e) from USD 5 to USD 10. For a full Summary of the NYDF event, click here.

“It is not enough for indigenous communities to have recognition and title over their land - though of course that is necessary. They also need opportunity. And

that comes from valuing the services of the forest.” –Hon. Lucía Delfina Ruíz Ostoic, Minister of Environment, Peru

Other Resources: Forest Day summary by Nature4Climate: https://nature4climate.org/news/naturenow-wrap-up-

sunday-22nd-september/

To read about the rest of the Hub events, visit the Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) Newsroom:

https://nature4climate.org/news/

UNDP Press Release: Nature’s Climate Hub events at the UN Climate Week

Photo by Meridian Institute