20 September 2013: The Rio Conventions Pavilion convened for Ecosystem Restoration Day on Friday, 20 September. The Rio Conventions Pavilion is meeting in conjunction with the Eleventh Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), taking place from 16-27 September 2013, in Windhoek, Namibia.

Ecosystem Restoration Day included sessions on: Landcare – providing pragmatic solutions to address land degradation; Global Environment Facility (GEF) experiences investing in ecosystem restoration through sustainable land management (SLM) and sustainable forest management (SFM) / REDD+; the potential contribution of ecosystem restoration to zero net land degradation (ZNLD); and the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative (GGWSSI), an African alliance contributing to a land degradation neutral world (LDNW). The day ended with a panel and reception on communication for sustainable development – biodiversity days, the climate change and land degradation agendas.

During the session on the potential contribution of ecosystem restoration to ZNLD, representatives of the Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD), the UNCCD, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) presented on: ZNLD-related Aichi Biodiversity Targets; the Hyderabad Call for a Concerted Effort on Ecosystem Restoration; and a review of global assessments of land and ecosystem restoration. [IISD RS Coverage] [Rio Conventions Pavilion Website]