Driving transparent progress in ecosystem restoration

In April 2025, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations launched a new initiative, Accelerating Innovative Monitoring for Nature Restoration (AIM4NatuRe), with seven million pounds sterling (approximately nine million US dollars) in funding from the United Kingdom. The four-year project (2025–2028) aims to improve the monitoring and reporting of global ecosystem restoration efforts.

Building on FAO’s existing AIM4Forests programme, AIM4NatuRe will create a global dataset to track nature restoration progress. Countries are to receive technical support and cutting-edge technology to monitor and report on their progress towards Target 2 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), which seeks to restore at least 30 per cent of degraded ecosystems by 2030.

A comprehensive approach to ecosystem restoration

The initiative embraces a wide-ranging strategy for ecosystem restoration, including activities such as:

• reforestation of degraded forests
• rehabilitation of agricultural lands and wetlands
• recovery of grasslands and marine ecosystems

Ecosystem restoration serves as a powerful nature-based solution to combat biodiversity loss, climate change and land degradation. Globally, around one billion hectares of land have been pledged for restoration, potentially delivering one third of the climate mitigation needed to limit global warming to below 2°C by 2030, while enhancing food security and sustainable livelihoods.

Bridging the data gap for global restoration

Despite strong commitments, many countries lack the technical capacity to monitor restoration effectively. According to a survey by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat, 80 per cent of responding countries reported being unable to collect sufficient data for national restoration reporting.

AIM4NatuRe addresses this gap by providing access to advanced monitoring technology and capacity development initiatives, working towards a unified global dataset for areas under restoration. The programme will support countries in generating verifiable data on the effectiveness of their restoration work, fostering transparency and ownership.

Notably, the initiative will support Indigenous Peoples in the monitoring of biocentric nature restoration, a holistic approach that prioritises the wellbeing of all living things within an ecosystem. A pilot with FAO's Indigenous Peoples unit is to take place in Brazil and Peru.

(FAO/ile)

More information:

• Read more on the FAO Website
• Visit the AIM4NatuRe website