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SBSTTA 15 Recommendation XV/2

XV/2.Ways and means to support ecosystem restoration

The Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice
1. Takes note of the indicative list of available practical guidance on ecosystem restoration in section III of the note by the Executive Secretary on ways and means to support ecosystem restoration (UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/15/4);
2. Requests the Executive Secretary, subject to availability of funding, in collaboration with relevant international organizations and other partners to initiate work to:
(a) Compile the information on practical guidance or guidelines developed by government agencies, non-governmental organizations, private sector, indigenous and local communities, and academic and research institutions for the restoration of specific landscapes, ecosystems, habitats, and their components; and identify gaps, if any, and suggest ways for filling those gaps;
(b) Consolidate the existing guidance to address the needs of, and prepare materials for different targeted end users such as policymakers, implementing agencies, and on-the-ground practitioners, including indigenous and local communities;
(c) Compile information on all relevant tools and technologies, including lessons learned (both positive and negative), and experiences used at different spatial scales and for specific ecosystems and make this information available to support:
(i) Informed decision-making on ecosystem restoration policy, legislation, and regulation;
(ii) Informed decision-making on ecosystem restoration policy, legislation, and regulation;
(iii) The effective design, implementation, and monitoring of ecosystem restoration projects/programmes on the ground;
(d) Compile information on the application of new and emerging technologies [such as synthetic biology] among others for ecosystem restoration;
(e) Compile the most used definitions/descriptions of key terms and highlight their links to targets 14 and 15 of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and targets 4 and 8 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation; and
(f) Report on progress in undertaking the above activities for the consideration of the Conference of the Parties at its eleventh meeting;
3. Recommends that the Conference of the Parties, in light of its examination of the progress report prepared by the Executive Secretary, considers the need for any further work on ecosystem restoration as well as the possible establishment of an Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group (AHTEG) for this purpose;
4. Further recommends that the Conference of the Parties at its eleventh meeting adopts a decision along the following lines:
The Conference of the Parties
Noting the key messages contained in section IV of the note by the Executive Secretary on ways and means to support ecosystem restoration prepared for the fifteenth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/15/4), in particular that ecosystem restoration is not a substitute for conservation, nor is it a conduit for allowing intentional destruction or unsustainable use. Rather, ecosystem restoration is the last resort for ameliorating degraded ecosystems to the benefit of all life on Earth,
Emphasizing that the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets provide the overall framework for the Convention towards 2020 and should guide the future work of all of the Convention's cross-cutting issues and thematic areas,
(a) Urges Parties and encourages other Governments and relevant organizations to make concerted efforts to achieve targets 14 and 15 of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and targets 4 and 8 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation and to contribute efficiently to the achievement of all the other Aichi Biodiversity Targets through ecosystem restoration by:
(i) Effectively implementing the ecosystem restoration-related provisions in previous decisions of the Conference of the Parties and relevant thematic and cross cutting programmes of work;
(ii) Identifying, analysing and addressing both underlying and direct causes of ecosystem degradation or fragmentation and using the knowledge gained for preventing or reducing activities which cause further degradation, deterioration or destruction;
(iii) Improving the status and resilience of ecosystems;
(iv) Supporting indigenous and local communities in appropriate ecosystem restoration activities in accordance with Article 10(c) and (d) of the Convention on Biological Diversity;
(v) Taking into consideration strategic goal D of enhancing benefits to all from biodiversity and ecosystem services when making decisions regarding the allocation of resources to ecosystem restoration;
(b) Invites Parties, other Governments, relevant intergovernmental organizations, the Society for Ecological Restoration, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the World Resources Institute, the Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration, the International Tropical Timber Organization and other relevant organizations and initiatives such as the Sub-Global Assessment Network, as appropriate, to support countries in implementing ecosystem restoration by:
(i) Making available tools such as e learning programmes;
(ii) Compiling and disseminating case-studies, best practices, lessons learned, and information on socioeconomic aspects, and methods for assessing the success of restoration projects;
(iii) Facilitating the sharing of knowledge and publicly available information and supporting existing networks, subject to the domestic legislation of the Parties;
(iv) Supporting and/or coordinating capacity building workshops;
(v) Convening regional/subregional technical training on key themes;
(vi) Enhancing partnerships and exchange programmes among agencies and restoration practitioners for their mutual benefit;
(vii) Developing and implementing communication programmes highlighting the economic, ecological and social benefits of ecosystem restoration including awareness-raising among the general public, policymakers and environmental managers not only on the crucial role that ecosystems play in providing ecosystem services, but also on the costs associated with ecosystem degradation, lost incomes, compensation, increased expenses in production; and the cost savings, benefits and the potential solutions that restoration can contribute to common political challenges;
(viii) Supporting the development and implementation of regional, subregional or national plans or programmes for restoration of ecosystems taking into account the ecosystem approach and the integration of ecosystem restoration into broader planning processes, such as spatial planning;
(ix) Supporting the large scale replication of projects and programmes that implement the recommendations of research on ecosystem restoration, including their monitoring;
(c) Requests the Executive Secretary, subject to the availability of funding, and making use of intersessional work described in paragraph 2 of SBSTTA recommendation XV/2 to:
(i) Convene regional and subregional capacity-building and training workshops and expert meetings;
(ii) Facilitate the further development, based on information requested by SBSTTA in paragraph 2 of SBSTTA recommendation XV/2, of a range of implementation tools and practical guidance for ecosystem restoration aimed at different audiences and translated into all United Nations languages, and make it available through the clearing house mechanism;
(iii) Facilitate in collaboration with relevant partners the development of a user-friendly, comprehensive central webpage on ecosystem restoration;
(iv) Compile all decisions of the Conference of the Parties and associated actions related to ecosystem restoration for wider dissemination to Parties;
(v) Facilitate development and maintenance, in collaboration with partners, of an issue-based module on ecosystem restoration, such as TEMATEA among others;
(vi) Identify opportunities of collaboration between the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and other multilateral environmental agreements in order to enhance and harmonize efforts in ecosystem restoration and avoid duplication;
(vii) In collaboration with partners, facilitate the development of a tool for collating and presenting baseline information on ecosystem condition and extent in order to facilitate the evaluation of Aichi Target 15 and to assist Parties to identify ecosystems whose restoration would contribute most significantly to the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets;
(d) Urges Parties, and invites other Governments, organizations and donors in a position to do so:
(i) To provide adequate financial technical and other support to the Executive Secretary for the capacity development and implementation initiatives;
(ii) Taking note of extreme weather events, to support implementation of ecosystem restoration towards mitigation and management of the impacts of natural disasters.

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