UN World Environment Day 5th June 2021

For details go to – https://www.unep.org/events/un-day/world-environment-day-2021

World Environment Day is the United Nations day for encouraging worldwide awareness and
action to protect our environment, this year the title is Ecosystem Restoration and will see
the launch of the UN’s Decade of Restoration.

An Ecosystem is a natural environment which includes plants, animals etc. that live and
interact within that environment. An ecosystem can be a single pond, river, forest, desert or
the ocean, they range in size vastly and most have been impacted by human activities in
recent years. Ecosystem Restoration assists the recovery of ecosystems that have been
degraded or destroyed, as well as conserving those that are still intact. Healthier
ecosystems, with richer biodiversity, yield greater benefits such as more fertile soils, bigger
yields of timber and fish, and larger stores of greenhouse gases etc. 

Causes of Ecosystem Decline
There are many causes for ecosystem degradation/damage. For instance, harmful policies
such as subsidies for intensive farming or weak tenure laws that encourage deforestation.
Lakes and coastlines can become polluted because of poor waste management or an
industrial accident. Commercial pressures can leave towns and cities with too much asphalt
and less green spaces.

Benefits of Ecosystem Restoration:
Between now and 2030, the restoration of 350 million hectares of degraded terrestrial
and aquatic ecosystems could generate $9 trillion USD in ecosystem services.

Restoration could remove 13 to 26 gigatons of greenhouse gases from the
atmosphere.Improved quality of life for a vast majority of the planet.

Potential Slowing down of climate change effects

The economic benefits of such interventions exceed nine times the cost of investment,
whereas inaction is at least three times more costly than ecosystem restoration.

For further information follow the links below or contact your Environment Managers:
https://www.unep.org/events/un-day/world-environment-day-2021
https://www.decadeonrestoration.org/what-ecosystem-restoration
https://www.decadeonrestoration.org/

UN World Environment Day 5th June 2021
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