Notification 2021-028

Dear Madam/Sir, I am pleased to announce that the Korea Forest Service (KFS) of the Republic of Korea and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding whereby KFS will support the funding of the second phase of the Forest Ecosystem Restoration Initiative (FERI) (https://www.feri-biodiversity.org/), which will be implemented over a five-year period, from 2021 to 2)025. The FERI was welcomed by Parties at the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention, held in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea. In its decision XII/19 (https://www.cbd.int/doc/decisions/cop-12/cop-12-dec-19-en.pdf) on ecosystem conservation and restoration, the Conference of the Parties reaffirmed the need for enhanced support and cooperation to promote ecosystem restoration efforts of developing countries, noting that not enough progress has been made to reduce habitat loss and to promote ecosystem restoration. The FERI was created with the aim to support the planning of ecosystem restoration and contribute to the achievement of Aichi Biodiversity Targets 5, 14 and 15. From 2015 to 2020, as part of the first phase, the FERI provided direct funding support, capacity building, technical support, knowledge products and tools to, and promoted outreach and awareness raising for developing country Parties as they operationalized national targets and plans for ecosystem restoration within the framework of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. Over this period, the capacity of developing country Parties on ecosystem restoration planning was raised through seven sub-regional workshops, and innovative restoration projects were supported in twelve countries. An analysis of country commitments in National Reports to the CBD shows that countries that participated in these workshops showed an improvement in ecosystem restoration targets over those that did not. The FERI also contributed to the development of new restoration tools in partnership with relevant organizations, including WePlan Forests (http://weplan-forests.org/), a decision-support platform for optimizing restoration action. Building on the outcomes of this first phase, the next phase of the FERI will continue to focus on supporting countries as they plan and implement national restoration targets while contributing to the knowledge base and awareness of the benefits of restoration. Results will support the effective and prompt implementation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework and contribute to building momentum in the context of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD National Focal Points, SBSTTA National Focal Points, ABS Focal Points, Cartagena Protocol Focal Points, indigenous peoples and local communities and relevant organizations