“When students of an educational institution plant native trees, and families, neighbors, and villagers come forward to support them, something beautiful happens. A bridge is built between generations,” said Bidhan Chandra Pal, Chair of the Make a Difference Week Global Committee and host of multiple youth-focused Make a Difference Day events in Dhaka and other parts of Bangladesh under the Eco-Schools Programme.“That bridge is created when we celebrate Make a Difference Week together. Planting native trees is not just about greenery; it is about restoring biodiversity, restoring shade, restoring balance, and restoring responsibility in young minds. The care and attention students have learned toward planting and nurturing trees from an early age will stay with them for life. We truly believe that.”

Make a Difference Week coincides with World Environment Day, on June 5, joining a global movement for positive action that repairs our relationship with nature.

How can I get involved in Make a Difference Week?

There are two key ways to take part in Make a Difference Week, either as an event organiser, or as a participant. Events can encompass any activity on the restorative continuum. Organise a garbage collection in your local park. Get together with friends and family to plant native species in a community garden, local school, or even in your backyard. If you’re not sure where to begin, you can join an event in your region. Visit www.makeadifferenceweek.org for more information about MAD Week, to register your event, or to sign up as a participant.

What is Ecological Restoration?

Ecological restoration is defined as the process of assisting the recovery of a native ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. Restoration occurs on a continuum, from reducing societal harm to fully recovered native ecosystems. Every step along the path delivers benefits to people and nature, through services like flood mitigation and water filtration, boosting pollination, and provision of the raw materials that make up our food, our medicines, and even our homes.

“Kazakhstan is a small country, and one of the biggest challenges of a project of this scale is the lack of experts to do the work. To build capacity, we have developed a program called Students for Nature, where we pick talented students and give them a chance to engage with our work,” said Ms. Voronova, herself an alumnus of the program. Altyn Dala is also testing innovations in project implementation and monitoring at scale, including the use of drones and other automated tools to collect and analyze data. The Altyn Dala program provides a valuable model of effective approaches for moving from commitment to action.

With global coral reefs repeatedly suffering from mass bleaching and record-breaking ocean temperatures, Dr. Phanor Montoya-Maya, restoration program manager at the Coral Reef Restoration Foundation in Florida, asked the question many in the ecological restoration community have been asking themselves: why bother? Small wins like the discovery of corals adapting to changing conditions provided rich seams for research into increasing reef resilience using standards-based approaches to implement and measure projects. And a global community of people - the Coral Restoration Consortium - willing to take action offered inspiration and hope.

“Over three decades, I have learned that reef restoration is equal parts science, logistics, and stubborn love. Science tells us what to try next, the logistics lets us do it to scale, and love makes us go back after a hard lesson and do it better….even in the darkest conditions, nature can surprise us,” said Dr. Montoya.

The conference’s high-level panel brought together leaders from global intergovernmental organizations, NGOs, and Indigenous communities, alongside experts from the government and corporate sectors, to discuss the enabling conditions needed to accelerate restoration in the second half of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Panelists offered insights and diverse perspectives on the need for collaboration, capacity-building, supportive policies, and innovative funding to scale restoration.

Christophe Besacier, Senior Forestry Officer at the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) emphasized the importance of innovative and sustained finance. “Another way to overcome barriers is to mobilize adequate financial resources to design, implement, and monitor large-scale ecosystem restoration initiatives…we need to raise awareness of the benefits of ecosystem restoration…and showcase the economic returns of what we are doing.”

Corporations increasingly understand the benefits of restoration, and Mars, Inc. has been a leader in investing in restoration to increase supply chain resilience. Maia Reed, Global Climate Data Lead at Mars Petcare, shared the company’s commitment to being a sustainable corporation within a generation, pointing out the need to be proactive. “Doing less harm is not the same as doing more good,” she said.

In her closing remarks at the conference, SER’s Executive Director, Bethanie Walder, called for peace, trust, reciprocity, and community. Appreciating the ambition, but raising the concern that we may not be on track to meet the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework target to bring 30% of degraded lands and waters under effective restoration by 2030, she answered Montoya-Maya’s question: “We must bother. Ambition and commitments are not enough. We need urgent action now. Restoration is becoming a global movement, but we need more; we need a restoration revolution.”

“SER2025 marks a pivotal moment in the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which urge countries to bring 30% of degraded lands and waters under effective restoration by 2030. These commitments are inspiring and ambitious, but ambition is not enough. We need urgent action now. Restoration is becoming a global movement, but we need more than that, we need a restoration revolution.”

Rewatch the SER2025 Live Stream of the Plenaries and Closing Ceremony.

ENDS -

About the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER)
The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) advances the science, practice, and policy of ecological restoration to sustain biodiversity, improve resilience in a changing climate, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture. An international non-profit organization with more than 5,200 members in more than 130 countries, we actively promote participatory, knowledge-based approaches to restoration. Learn more about our work at www.ser.org.

For more information, please contact:

Membership:
Wendy Sturley
Director of Membership and Marketing
Society for Ecological Restoration
wendy.sturley@ser.org

Media:
Florencia Panizza
Claro Communications Consulting
florencia@claro-comm.com

REVIVE is a six-point strategy to vastly increase capacity for restoration by equipping practitioners, investors, and policymakers with the knowledge, resources, and tools to implement effective restoration at scale, especially through the recognition, adoption, and use of standards-based restoration.

REVIVE comprises six interconnected components:

1. Restore: Create an accelerator to support 100 exemplary projects (Exemplars) across scales and settings, providing replicable blueprints for implementation of standards-based restoration.
2. Empower: Bolster a global network of restoration professionals through training and certification.
3. Validate: Quantify the additive benefits of ER while implementing gold-standard project certification.
4. Innovate: Foster innovative, integrated, and evidence-based ecological restoration practices for scale.
5. Value: Catalyze investable, verifiable restoration through leadership, credible Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV), and inclusive finance.
6. Enable:  Accelerate policy development to drive adoption of ER by regulators and funders.

“The time for small steps is over. REVIVE is the quantum leap we need,” said Karma Bouazza, Chair of SER’s Board. “Ecological restoration is a proven, nature-based solution. However, demand for restoration far outpaces the current levels of capacity for implementation and available investment. REVIVE supports the transformation of ecological restoration into a globally scalable, investable, and inclusive field—with the standards, practitioners, policies, and capital to match the urgency of the moment.”

Standards as a Foundation for REVIVE

SER launched the first International Principles and Standards for Ecological Restoration (SER Standards) in 2016 to help practitioners plan, implement, monitor, and manage projects. Standards improve the quality of restoration projects thus delivering higher impact outcomes. Increasingly, regulators and investors recognize standards-based restoration as a key requirement for reducing risk and uncertainty in restoration design and implementation, and thereby increasing return on investment. This is the foundation for REVIVE. Each of the six components harnesses the benefits of standards-based restoration to build capacity for implementation, innovate solutions in a rapidly changing field, verify approaches and effectiveness, and facilitate investment in high-quality, reduced-risk restoration.

“Working as a restoration practitioner for more than 40 years, it is clear the foundation is built, the knowledge and capacity are there, but this must be amplified by orders of magnitude,” said George Gann, SER Global Policy Lead and lead author of the SER International Principles and Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration. “SER’s Standards are designed to help practitioners contribute to and learn from the Society’s collective global body of knowledge to increase the likelihood of delivering outstanding and successful restoration projects.”

A New Model for Scaling Restoration

REVIVE recognizes existing expertise and approaches that SER members and partners are already undertaking, combining them into a coordinated and strategic approach to catalyze the full potential of restoration for nature and people. SER is actively implementing REVIVE through various initiatives, including the development of a Massive Open Online Course on the Foundations of Restoration Ecology, which will be available in March 2026 (Empower). Similarly, SER collaborates with global reinsurance company, SCOR, on its restoration insurance Initiative, NatReCo (Validate, Value).  SER Standards are used as the basis to review and verify the 'quality' of restoration projects for insurance purposes, thus reducing risk for the financing and implementation of projects. The first project verification was completed in mid-2025. SER is also coordinating with global partners to develop recommended restoration policies to incentivize or obligate ecological restoration (Enable).

“REVIVE is designed to create the conditions for success—funding, expertise, and credibility—to support a new era of ecological restoration,” said Bethanie Walder, Executive Director of SER. “Each component of REVIVE draws from SER’s more than 30 years of experience as the leading convener and provider of global guidance on best practices in restoration. Our vision is that REVIVE, and the 100 Exemplar projects that act as its point of focus, will expand the restoration of degraded lands and waters today, and serve as catalysts for thousands of projects worldwide both today and well into the future.”

REVIVE’s success depends on a coalition of global partners, including governments, philanthropies, corporations, multilateral institutions, and local communities. SER and its originating partners, the Institute for Regional Conservation and Soul Forest, are actively seeking funders, technical partners, and policymakers to scale this effort.

Organizations and funders interested in partnering with REVIVE are encouraged to visit www.ser.org/REVIVE to learn more and to access our REVIVE executive summary.

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About the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER)
The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) advances the science, practice, and policy of ecological restoration to sustain biodiversity, improve resilience in a changing climate, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture. An international non-profit organization with more than 5,200 members in more than 130 countries, we actively promote participatory, knowledge-based approaches to restoration. Learn more about our work at www.ser.org.

About The Institute for Regional Conservation
A private non-profit organization, The Institute for Regional Conservation (IRC) is dedicated to the protection, restoration, and long-term management of biodiversity on a regional basis, and to the prevention of local extinctions of rare plants, animals, and ecosystems. Based in South Florida, USA, IRC works on conservation research and action throughout South Florida, the Caribbean, and beyond. Their work is premised on an innovative idea of conservation that seeks to protect and restore viable populations of all plant and animal species within a region, rather than focusing on charismatic animals or plants with narrow global ranges. For more information visit www.regionalconservation.org.

About Soul Forest
Soul Forest is pioneering a new way for finance, ecology, and community to thrive together - making nature investable. Founded by the creators of Kheyti, an Earthshot Prize–winning organization, it transforms degraded land into thriving ecosystems through its 80/20 approach: 80% dedicated to ecological restoration and 20% to regenerative enterprises, creating landscapes where biodiversity, science, communities, and enterprise coexist profitably. The 100-hectare Veltoor pilot site in Telangana, India serves as a living lab demonstrating this model in action. With a goal to restore 100,000 hectares by 2035, Soul Forest is building a network of enduring landscapes with a mission to make nature investable, restoration scalable, and stewardship desirable. For more information visit www.soulforest.in.

For more information, please contact:

Membership:
Wendy Sturley
Director of Membership and Strategic Development
Society for Ecological Restoration
wendy.sturley@ser.org

Media:
Florencia Panizza
Claro Communications Consulting
florencia@claro-comm.com
 

Denver, Colorado, USA – 23 September 2025 – The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) is hosting the 11th World Conference on Ecological Restoration, SER2025, from 30 September to 4 October, in Denver, Colorado, returning to the United States for the first time in 12 years.

The adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) in December 2022 was a key milestone for the protection and restoration of biodiversity, prompting ambitious targets from many governments around the world for the active restoration of their lands and seas by 2030. At this mid-point of both the KM-GBF and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, it is imperative that we move from powerful commitments to effective and high-impact action. At SER2025, more than 1,400 of the world’s leading restoration scientists, practitioners, investors, and policymakers will gather in the Rocky Mountains to share innovations and research, participate in training courses and workshops, expand on nature-based solutions, and strengthen local and global collaborations to heal the planet.

Denver’s geography, climate, and key economic drivers, including mining and tourism, have made it vulnerable to land degradation and, as a result, a recognized center of excellence for ecological restoration. River systems originating in Colorado’s mountains supply water to 19 states, but with their headwaters experiencing severe drought, this essential resource is under significant pressure. Extreme dry conditions on Denver’s Western Slope also helped fuel last month’s Lee fire, the fourth largest in the state’s history. While not a silver bullet, ecological restoration can help address these challenges.

“We are thrilled to be hosting SER2025 in Denver,” said Brock Bowles, Environmental Protection Specialist at the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety, and Co-Chair of SER2025. “Coloradans are privileged to be surrounded by stunning landscapes and natural beauty. We take great pride in our stewardship of this breathtaking and valuable environment. However, like many communities around the world, Colorado is increasingly affected by the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss, most visibly wildfires and drought. We are actively working to restore degraded lands and waters. SER2025 is a unique forum for the global restoration community to collaborate and deliver innovative nature-based solutions to tackle these pressing challenges on both a local and global scale”.

“Ecological restoration is not a ‘nice-to-have’ option; it is an essential tool to help our planet and communities thrive. Likewise, the engagement of communities in restoration is important for success. When ecosystems are healthy, so are we,” said Ramesh Ventkataraman, Managing Trustee, Junglescapes Charitable Trust, Co-Chair of SER2025, and member of SER’s Board of Directors. “Small steps can lead to big changes. SER2025 brings together passionate individuals from around the world to share their successes, inspire each other and the broader community, and create lasting change across landscapes and borders”.

Daily plenary sessions will highlight creative and inspiring restoration approaches on land, in freshwater, and in marine systems, exploring how restoration is moving from talk to action at both small and large scales. Speakers will feature groundbreaking projects ranging from the 2024 Earthshot Prize-winning landscape-scale grasslands restoration in Kazakhstan, to Indigenous youth who just completed a first descent by kayak of the recently restored Klamath River. High-level panelists will discuss how the public and private sectors are actively working to incentivize and deliver restoration with as few barriers as possible. Speakers include leaders from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Massachusetts’ Division of Ecological Restoration, Wolakota Lab, the Center for Marine Justice in Colombia, and Mars Petcare.

“The first five years of the UN Decade have elevated an understanding of the need for effective, high-impact ecological restoration to be delivered both locally and at scale. Now it is time to act,” said Bethanie Walder, Executive Director of SER. “While politicians and governments in some countries may be backing away from previous environmental protection and restoration commitments, profound environmental challenges remain. The global restoration community is committed to elevating restoration as a proactive, solutions-based approach to address environmental and societal concerns. We will continue to advocate for robust and high-impact restoration commitments alongside funding and action to deliver those commitments. I hope we will look back on this year as a catalytic point of inflection in our mission to restore degraded and damaged lands and waters”.

Alongside a packed program of over 800 presentations, seminars, workshops, and trainings, SER2025 is offering 17 field trips led by local experts, that showcase ongoing restoration projects across Denver regional landscapes from alpine tundra to wetlands, urban areas, and prairies.

New at SER2025, each day at the conference, SER will announce a finalist in the three categories of its first-ever ecological restoration Hackathon, which took place on 10th and 11th September. With 72 participants selected from 378 applicants, 14 teams competed to develop innovative, practical, and affordable approaches to Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) in ecological restoration. The goal of the competition was to help develop practical MRV tools and solutions that strengthen transparency, build trust, and enable scalable, high-integrity restoration efforts. The event enabled experts from around the world, who were unable to travel to Denver, to participate and contribute to the sharing of knowledge and ideas at SER2025.

Recognizing the power of the arts to inspire action, the program draws on film, music, and visual arts to engage and unite delegates. Local Navajo artist JayCee Beyale was commissioned to create dedicated artwork for this year’s event. On three afternoons during the conference, jam circles, informal musical gatherings, will bring participants together to co-create music and share instruments. And, on Thursday, 2 October, SER2025 will also host the finale of the 2nd SER Restoration Film Festival. Films by eight finalists will be screened, with winners in four categories announced that evening.

SER’s biennial global conference showcases the latest research and innovations in ecological restoration. It convenes experts from across the world to share ideas and spark collaboration. It connects policymakers with business leaders to help shape policies and regulations that spur progress across borders. Most importantly, it reminds us that we are a single global community, inspiring the action needed to drive transformational change, and deliver on our commitments to restore our lands and seas for the benefit of people and nature.

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About The Society for Ecological Restoration

The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) advances the science, practice, and policy of ecological restoration to sustain biodiversity, improve resilience in a changing climate, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture. An international non-profit organization with more than 5,200 members in more than 130 countries, we actively promote participatory, knowledge-based approaches to restoration. Learn more about our work at www.ser.org.
 
 
For more information, please contact:
 
Media:
Florencia Panizza
Claro Communications Consulting
florencia@claro-comm.com
 
Membership:
Wendy Sturley
Director of Membership and Marketing
Society for Ecological Restoration
wendy.sturley@ser.org

European Union takes bold and pioneering steps to restore nature and safeguard the well-being of European citizens

Washington, DC, Tuesday 27 February 2024 – The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) joins its European chapter (SER-Europe) in celebrating the adoption of the EU Regulation on Nature Restoration (Nature Restoration Law, NRL) by the European Parliament today. This globally unique and forward-thinking law takes proactive steps to tackle biodiversity loss, climate change impacts, and ecosystem degradation through ecosystem and ecological restoration. Bound by broad ambitions and legally binding targets the European Member States are now required to take meaningful action to restore our connection with nature.

“This EU Regulation is a significant milestone in the global effort to combat climate change, protect biodiversity, and create net gain for nature and people. Nature restoration not only enhances the resilience of ecosystems but also contributes to the well-being of humanity and life on Earth,” said Bethanie Walder, Executive Director of the Society for Ecological Restoration.

Voluntary restoration efforts worldwide are making a quantifiable impact. However, mandatory restoration is often tied to or obligated as compensatory mitigation for environmental degradation. The NRL stands out globally by proactively obligating nature restoration. This marks an important milestone in the policy framework for restoration and will contribute to achieving international targets such as those outlined in  the Global Biodiversity Framework and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.  

The strengths of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation include:

1. Legally binding and measurable targets to restore 20% of land and marine ecosystems in the EU by 2030 and to restore all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050.
2. A holistic approach emphasizing the importance of nature-based solutions to climate challenges, environmental degradation, and environmental risks (drought, extreme temperatures, wildfires, flooding), in an integrated way.
3. Active involvement and collaboration among societal actors who manage land and seas, including farmers, forest owners, local authorities, businesses, NGOs, and local communities. This inclusive approach is vital for the successful implementation of nature restoration initiatives that benefits both nature and people.
4. Financial support from public and private sources to facilitate the transition to more sustainable practices and achievement of restoration goals.
5. National Nature Restoration Plans will be adopted by the Member States within two years to start delivering systematically the required measures on their territory. SER-E calls for these plans both to be grounded on a participatory process for societal engagement, and to be standards- and evidence- based to improve the likelihood of  success.

Scientists, environmental organizations and more than 1 million concerned citizens had rallied behind the proposed regulation, calling for urgent, decisive action.

Jordi Cortina-Segarra, Chair of the Board of SER-Europe said, “Despite adopting a far less ambitious regulation than the original proposal by the European Commission and faced with a controversial opposition campaign, the EU legislators have understood the urgency for restoration as a solution for the climate and biodiversity crises. Many critics of the Regulation miss the point: nature restoration means taking care of the future of agriculture, access to clean water and livable cities, not the opposite.”

As a dedicated advocate for environmental conservation and restoration, SER-Europe remains committed to supporting the implementation of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation. We look forward to collaborating with like-minded organizations, governments, and communities to ensure the success of the Regulation's objectives. 

Join SER-Europe and global policy experts for an in-depth discussion on the NRL on Tuesday, 7 May 2024. Register here.  

About the Society for Ecological Restoration:
The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) advances the science, practice and policy of ecological restoration to sustain biodiversity, improve resilience in a changing climate, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture. An international non-profit organization with over 5,000 members and partners in more than 110 countries, we actively promote participatory, knowledge-based approaches to restoration. Learn more about our work at www.ser.org.

About SER-Europe:
The European Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER-Europe) is a network of scientists and practitioners taking action for nature. Our Mission is to advance the science, practice,
and policy of ecological restoration to sustain biodiversity, improve resilience in a changing climate, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture.

For more information please contact:

• First in the world example of binding legislation that takes a proactive approach to restoration (e.g., restoration obligations are broader than compensation related to new degradation).
• NRL is good for biodiversity, climate, farmers and the economy, contributing to citizens’ wellbeing. 
• Pioneering legislation that recognizes that biodiversity objectives cannot be met with conservation alone, and that conservation and restoration together (also combined with sustainable use) are required to achieve global biodiversity objectives. 
• Exemplary contribution to the GBF and UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
• NRL complements ongoing efforts to protect and enhance nature by boosting European commitments to restore degraded lands and seas.
• SER-E is uniquely positioned to contribute to the NRL’s implementation with its Standards for the practice of ecological restoration, encompassing knowledge, experience and best practice across the EU to reduce uncertainty and increase effectiveness of outcomes and therefore maximize returns on investments in restoration.
• Nature restoration is a key course of action to solving the dual biodiversity and climate crises while also improving social and economic capital. 
• Restoration and farming are not in conflict, but mutually supportive. For example, soil restoration can lead to increased agricultural yields; emerging regenerative approaches to agriculture can restore soils and increase soil carbon sequestration while simultaneously producing valued products. 
• National Restoration Plans will take advantage of the flexibility of the NRL to adapt restoration programs to the specific socio-ecological context of each Member State.
• Ecological restoration is a participatory activity that recognizes and rebuilds a reciprocal and mutually beneficial relationship between people and nature. Numerous international mechanisms, including the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the IPBES have elevated the need for transformative change in the human/nature relationship in order to reverse the biodiversity and climate crises.
  

The Society for Ecological Restoration and Microsoft's Community Environmental Sustainability program are enhancing biodiversity and resilience across 6 countries through standards-based ecological restoration.

Washington, DC, Wednesday 21 February 2024 – In early 2023, the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) announced a new collaboration with Microsoft to implement standards-based ecological restoration projects in communities hosting data centers globally. Just one year later, SER is thrilled to have supported 14 projects in six countries, with even more in development. This unique collaboration recognizes the additive value of standards-based restoration to deliver high impact solutions that help address the biodiversity, desertification, and climate crises .

The collaboration leverages SER's Standards-based Ecological Restoration in Action program, and SER’s global network of practitioners and researchers, to build community-driven, evidence-based restoration projects that benefit people and nature. These small-scale, locally designed and implemented projects are restoring more than 200 hectares of land across the globe. A selection of projects include:

• Restoring ecologically significant forests and globally rare wetlands in Loudoun County, Virginia, USA
• Establishing floating wetland cells as part of a lake restoration program in Kelana Jaya and Taman Aman Lake in Cyberjaya, Sepang District, Selangor in Malaysia
• Restoring a former landfill into a future nature reserve in Québec City, Canada
• Reviving the White Stork population by restoring wetland habitat in southern Sweden

For more information visit: https://www.ser.org/page/SER-Microsoft

“The success of SER’s first year marks a milestone for standards-based ecological restoration, having launched 14 projects across 4 continents" said Bethanie Walder, Executive Director at SER. "This program is helping provide educational, skill-building, and networking opportunities for local partners in addition to increased ecosystem services to local communities. SER's 35-year strong global member network and knowledge base, along with our Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioners provide the foundation for the program’s success. ” 

SER, a global leader with 35 years of experience in ecological restoration and the developer of the International Principles and Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration, is providing expertise, resources, and guidance to local communities funded by the collaboration. By integrating SER standards into their projects, the collaboration aims to increase the capacity of local partners to deliver high quality, effective restoration now and in the future. Each project adheres to SER's Principles and Standards, prioritizing diverse knowledge and capacity, inclusivity and participation, identification and mitigation of degradation causes, biodiversity enhancement, and environmental and social equity. These principles ensure that restoration efforts deliver comprehensive environmental and community benefits while minimizing negative impacts.

“Microsoft is proud to partner with SER to deliver standards-based ecological restoration in the communities where we operate. By collaborating with SER, we have been able to expand restoration projects globally and grow the network of sustainability-focused non-profits that Microsoft supports,” said Gaby DelaGarza, Senior Director of Global Datacenter Community Affairs. ”

Both case studies illustrate the importance of collaborative action between government, local communities and Indigenous peoples, restoration scientists and practitioners, and corporations. They demonstrate that successful restoration happens by setting clear standards-based goals that enable impacts to be measured and communicated.

In SER's Standards-based Restoration in Action program aims to elevate and formalize a standards-based approach to ecological restoration globally. By accelerating the adoption of standards-based ecological restoration, the program seeks to establish a robust foundation for the ecological restoration field, aligning with the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) .

For more information about SER’s Standards-based Restoration in Action program, visit: https://www.ser.org/page/Standards-based-restoration-in-action

Photo Caption: A family of White Storks (Ciconia ciconia) in a nesting site in southern Sweden. (click to download photo)

Wetland Ecosystem of Cyberjaya Lake Gardens in Malaysia. (click to download photo)

About the Society for Ecological Restoration
The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) advances the science, practice and policy of ecological restoration to sustain biodiversity, improve resilience in a changing climate, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture. An international non-profit organization with over 5,000 members and partners in more than 110 countries, we actively promote participatory, knowledge-based approaches to restoration. Learn more about our work at www.ser.org.

The Communication Award: The LEAD Foundation (Tanzania) reached more than 2 million people across Tanzania, many in rural villages, with innovative communications to activate, educate and inspire people to engage in ecological restoration.

Regional Awards – As the host country for SER2023, this year’s Regional Awards went to two outstanding Australian organizations. The Coral Nurture Program is dedicated to evaluating scientific practices, stakeholder engagement, and financing models to support sustainable restoration on the Great Barrier Reef. And, Envite Environment with active restoration projects including extensive post bush-fire restoration, and partnerships for the recovery of koalas in NSW and endangered North Coast Emus.

Left to right: Ms. Victoria Stubbs, Dr. Ferran Garcia-Pichel, Tropical Rainforest Conservation and Research Centre team, Bakan Jagdish Sudhakar (Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve Trust), Njamasi Chiwanga (LEAD Foundation), Prof. David Suggett and Ms. Lorna Howlett (Coral Nature Program, Dan Cox (Envite Environment).

Bradshaw Medal: Three scientific papers received recognition by the Restoration Ecology Editorial Board for significantly advancing the field; and will be free to read on the Wiley Online Library until 10 November 2023. Full details of the awards and winners are available here.

Recipients were selected by the Awards Committee and approved by the SER Board of Directors after community nomination, with Bradshaw Medallists selected by Restoration Ecology editors. The Society would like to thank Mars, Inc, for its support of SER2023 as the Conference Awards sponsor.

The First Ecological Restoration Film Festival Competition:

SER2023 was host to the first Ecological Restoration Film Festival. The competition was open to existing and new films which embodied the principles of ecological restoration and explored the relationship between people, science, restoration, and the environment. 

“We know that film is an incredibly powerful medium for communication, particularly in a scientific field like ecological restoration,” said Jillianne Segura, co-organizer of the Film Festival. “The idea behind the Festival was to create a platform that brings to life the complex and hopeful process of restoring degraded lands. In particular, we wanted to offer students and Indigenous people the opportunity to share their stories with this gathering of leading scientists and practitioners at SER2023. We would like to congratulate the winners, and thank all those who entered and made this festival such an inspiring event.”  

The SER Film Committee is delighted to congratulate this year's winners: 

Best Student Film
Mussel Mania: Restoring New Zealand's Lost Mussel Reefs
Director: Trevyn Toone 
Mussel reefs in New Zealand have been decimated by overharvesting. Now restoration projects are trying to bring them back.

Best Open Short Film
Cry Of The Glossy
Director: Tim Brown
Taking us on a journey through the forested hills of the NSW Southern Highlands (Australia), poet and Gunai woman, Kirli Saunders, reflects on the special place the endangered Glossy Black Cockatoo holds in her heart and culture.

Best Open Long Film
Gardening marine forests: A hands-on approach to restoration
Director: Stefan Andrews
What if people could be the secret to transforming ocean deserts into rich forests filled with an abundance of life? Join two marine scientists as they explore how a hands-on approach to marine restoration is working to revive marine kelp forests in South Korea. 

SER2023 Offsets Program

In recognition of the environmental impact of the 10th World Conference on Ecological Restoration, the conference Organising Committee set aside a percentage of the conference expense budget to an ecological restoration project in Australia.

The Award is intended to emphasize that successful ecological restoration delivers a holistic suite of benefits for people and nature. Voted on by conference delegates, the winner of the offsets program was Nature Glenelg Trust’s hydrological restoration at Minyumai Indigenous Protected Reserve, a project to halt and reverse the erosion and restore the natural hydrology of the recovering swamp forest.

More details about the environmental offsets program and all the finalists is available here.

The Virtual Component of SER2023 will run from 7-8 November with sessions happening in both eastern and western hemisphere time zones. All registered delegates for both the in-person or virtual components of SER2023 will have access to all virtual presentations and recorded symposia, plenaries and oral presentations from the in-person conference once made available online. An additional and final student award will also be announced. Click here to register.

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About the Society for Ecological Restoration
The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) advances the science, practice and policy of ecological restoration to sustain biodiversity, improve resilience in a changing climate, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture. An international non-profit organization with over 5,000 members in more than 110 countries, we actively promote participatory, knowledge-based approaches to restoration. Learn more about our work at www.ser.org.

For more information please contact:
 
Media Contact - Society for Ecological Restoration
Florencia Panizza
florencia@claro-comm.com

SER Award Contact - Society for Ecological Restoration
Laura Capponi
Society for Ecological Restoration
laura@ser.org

Darwin, Australia, Saturday 30 September 2023 – The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER), in collaboration with the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Advisory Board and more than 1,000 delegates at SER2023, issued a Call to Action at the closing ceremony of the 10th World Conference on Ecological Restoration. 

The need for ecological restoration has never been more evident or imperative, as evidenced by recent catastrophic droughts, floods, and fires. The Call to Action emphasizes the urgent need to scale up effective, standards-based restoration worldwide as a mechanism to re-establish a healthy, balanced connection between people and nature, by:

• Recognizing and securing the rights of Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and underrepresented people to their land, territories, knowledge, and resources, and elevating their leadership and roles as agents of change at all stages of restoration.
  
• Inspiring all of society to embrace ecological restoration as a priority for reducing risk and rebuilding in the wake of climate disasters, strengthening community resilience, restoring health and wellbeing, and recovering vital ecosystems services.
• Encouraging governments to realign policies and funding to proactively support inclusive, participatory ecological restoration. 
• Urging the global business community to give back more than they take across their entire value chains, not just by reducing negative impacts, but by investing in the restoration of degraded ecosystems to support long-term business sustainability.

“The time for a true commitment to scaling up restoration and delivering on its promise is now,” said Bethanie Walder, Executive Director of the Society for Ecological Restoration. “The momentum and energy from the SER2023 delegates inspire us to unite and act, sharing our knowledge, building capacity and frameworks, and driving investment to deliver on the ambitious targets of the UN Decade.”

“Indigenous communities manage or have tenure rights to an estimated 85% of global areas proposed for biodiversity protection,” said Marina Best on the final day of SER2023, speaking on behalf of her Métis community. Ms. Best, who is also the Indigenous Relations Manager for the National Urban Parks and Ecological Corridors programs at Parks Canada, offered an effective blueprint for large-scale Indigenous-led restoration projects. “Creating more opportunities for Indigenous peoples and local communities to lead restoration and conservation projects on their traditional lands is essential for success. In practice, this means ensuring projects are locally relevant, grounded in clear language that is aligned with local cultures, based on strong relationships and networks, and offer access to resources such as training.” 

“To effectively scale up ecological restoration it must be supported by clear goals, given the likely trade-offs between desired environmental outcomes and impacts on production and livelihoods,” said Fangyuan Huan, Conservation Ecologist at Peking University, China. “This is why we must take a holistic view, on a spatial scale that accounts for impacts on neighboring landscapes and countries and rely on broad collaboration. In China we have seen a vital shift in the last decade as the Government increasingly recognizes the importance within its policies of leading with natural regeneration. This has come as a result of years of education from the scientific community.” 

“We have a vision for scaling up ecosystem restoration to bring about transformational change,” said Gopal Patel, Co-Chair of the Advisory Board for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. “But it can only be done if we work together. This means all of society: governments, scientists, business, faith groups, Indigenous peoples and local communities, sharing knowledge and ideas, driving policy-change and channeling investment into projects large and small. This decade is crucial, but the work does not stop there. Quite simply, restoration is an investment in the future of our planet and in future generations that we can’t afford to not make.”

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About the Society for Ecological Restoration

The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) advances the science, practice, and policy of ecological restoration to sustain biodiversity, improve resilience in a changing climate, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture. An international non-profit organization with over 5,000 members in more than 110 countries, we actively promote participatory, knowledge-based approaches to restoration. Learn more about our work at www.ser.org.

About the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, led by the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and its partners, covers terrestrial as well as coastal and marine ecosystems. As a global call to action, it will draw together political support, scientific research and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration. Find out how you can contribute to the UN Decade. Follow #GenerationRestoration. 

For more information please contact:
 
Media Contact - Society for Ecological Restoration
Florencia Panizza
florencia@claro-comm.com

Media Contact - UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
Moses Osani
Public Information Officer, 
UN Environment Programme (UNEP) 
moses.osani@un.org

SER2023 Conference Contact:
Bethanie Walder
Society for Ecological Restoration
bethanie@ser.org

Cross-sector collaboration, local knowledge and a focus on youth engagement lead to positive environmental, social, and economic outcomes.

Darwin, Australia, Friday September 29, 2023 – A vast, community-led mangrove restoration project in Madagascar and an ambitious mountain restoration initiative in New Zealand offer inspiring examples of the power of ecological restoration to unite, strengthen, and build community in diverse regions and biomes around the world.

In addition to well-recognized climate-change mitigation, mangroves support the livelihoods of an estimated 2 million coastal people in Madagascar. But unsustainable harvest and lack of effective management had resulted in severe degradation. Through expansive collaboration with 22 community groups and the Madagascar Ministry of Environment, social enterprise Blue Ventures has replanted 14.5 million mangrove trees using the eight Principles in the framework provided by SER’s International Principles and Standards for Ecological Restoration. 

“This project has been transformational for coastal communities on multiple levels,” said Lalao Aigrette, National Technical Advisor for Mangroves and Blue Carbon for Blue Ventures in Madagascar. “Combining local knowledge and scientific observations is a powerful way to inform mangrove restoration and adaptive management. It shows how blue carbon finance can act not only as an incentive for integrated management of forests and fisheries, but also to strengthen social cohesion when projects are implemented in a transparent and equitable manner.” 

Taranaki Mounga Project is a landscape-scale ecological restoration project on the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island. Much of the native biodiversity in the land surrounding the revered volcanic peak of Taranaki Maunga had been degraded due to introduced predators such as wild goats, weasels, and stoats. The cross-sector collaboration between the Department of Conservation, Taranaki iwi Chairs forum, and philanthropic investors has enabled the restoration of ecological resilience and natural biodiversity. This includes the re-introduction of kiwi and toutouwai back into the landscape after many years of absence. Just this month, ownership of Taranaki Mounga was transferred back to the Taranaki and the mountain was granted legal personhood; setting the stage for continued long-term restoration of the land and community.

“As we work to restore Taranaki Maounga, we are doing it to ensure that our children are able to witness and enjoy the beauty and healing of our most remarkable and sacred natural areas,” said Sera Gibson, Project Manager with Taranaki Mounga Project in New Zealand. “This is why we can only be successful if we do it together. We cannot underestimate the impact of engaging and educating our local communities, in particular our youth. By reconnecting them with their mountain, we offer them a sense of ownership and belonging, which in turn inspires them to protect these spaces for generations to come.”

Both case studies illustrate the importance of collaborative action between government, local communities and Indigenous peoples, restoration scientists and practitioners, and corporations. They demonstrate that successful restoration happens by setting clear standards-based goals that enable impacts to be measured and communicated.

In Australia, the Restoration Decade Alliance, of which SER2023 co-host SER-Australasia is a member, today announced its roadmap to restoration success in Australia, calling for the development of a National Restoration Plan to repair degraded and damaged ecosystems across the country. The Alliance, a group of 21 Australian non-profit restoration organizations, emphasized the need for a whole-of-community approach to restoration, for greater understanding of the economic value of restoration, and for its potential to address declining biodiversity. Restoration is a means to rebuild a more reciprocal relationship between people and the rest of nature, particularly drawing inspiration from the knowledge and experience of First Nations Australians. The full statement can be viewed here.

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About the Society for Ecological Restoration
The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) advances the science, practice and policy of ecological restoration to sustain biodiversity, improve resilience in a changing climate, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture. An international non-profit organization with over 5,000 members in more than 110 countries, we actively promote participatory, knowledge-based approaches to restoration. Learn more about our work at www.ser.org.

About the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, led by the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and its partners, covers terrestrial as well as coastal and marine ecosystems. As a global call to action, it will draw together political support, scientific research and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration. Find out how you can contribute to the UN Decade. Follow #GenerationRestoration. 

For more information please contact:
 
Media Contact - Society for Ecological Restoration
Florencia Panizza
florencia@claro-comm.com
P: +41 (0)79 633 6184

Media Contact - UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
Moses Osani
Public Information Officer, 
UN Environment Programme (UNEP) 
moses.osani@un.org

SER2023 Conference Contact:
Bethanie Walder
Society for Ecological Restoration
bethanie@ser.org
P: +1 406 543 5926

Increasing demand from corporations for impact-driven approaches represents growing opportunity for restoration investments and initiatives

 Darwin, Australia, Thursday, 28 September 2023 – On the second day of SER2023, the 10th World Conference on Ecological Restoration, business leaders and policy experts discussed the essential role of restoration to support long-term viability for corporate operations and supply chains. Panelists emphasized that ecological restoration goes beyond meeting Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) metrics or achieving Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) targets. It is an investment in the resilience of value-chains and in the future of organizations.

Food systems, raw materials and global supply chains are under increasing pressure from climate change and land degradation. Effective, science-based restoration standards are vital tools for companies across sectors to manage their risks and ensure availability of the essential natural resources they depend on long into the future. Standards-based restoration will also help meet the increasingly stringent environmental performance targets that customers, suppliers, regulators, and investors are demanding.

SER business member, Mars, Incorporated, has been a leader in developing coral reef restoration solutions and is exploring other ecosystems as part of the company’s overall supply chain.

“An increasing number of companies have pledged to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2050, which will involve striving to reduce, inset, or offset their Scope 3 emissions.  These targets will not be realized without integrating ecosystem restoration knowledge and practice (i.e. nature-based solutions such as regenerative agriculture) into their sustainable supply chain operations,” said Frank Mars, a fourth-generation member of the Mars family, a member of the Mars, Incorporated Board of Directors and a Member of the Advisory Board for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. “The science is clear, and time is not on our side.  Which is why Mars just committed to a 50% reduction in our carbon footprint over the next seven years (by 2030). The collective scientific expertise and traditional knowledge held by the 5,000 members of SER will increasingly be of great importance to Mars, and others, as more and more companies actively learn about and how to practice ecosystem restoration.”

The Union for Ethical Biotrade (UEBT), a partner of SER, promotes the ethical sourcing of ingredients from biodiversity to drive positive outcomes for people and nature.
 
“When we talk about ecosystem restoration, we are not just talking about preserving our natural world. We also need to consider the underlying social dynamics. And without biodiversity, businesses simply cannot operate. Many of the strategic ingredients used in pharmaceuticals, personal care and household products, and of course food and beverages, come from biodiversity,” said Julia Oliva, Director of Policy and Sector Transformation at UEBT. “Standards have an essential role to play. They provide science-based legitimacy, ensure inclusivity by incorporating multi-stakeholder perspectives, help measure impact, and provide opportunity for communication and market differentiation.”

As one of the world’s largest reinsurers, SCOR works with its clients to offer a holistic view of the risks faced by organizations, including those due to climate change and biodiversity loss.

“Land degradation and ecosystem loss has wide-ranging social and economic as well as environmental impacts,” said Henri Douche, Head of Product and Innovation at SCOR. “As a reinsurer, we understand these risks implicitly. This is why we are such a strong advocate for ecological restoration. We believe it is essential for organizations who want to deliver on their environmental goals and mitigate risks across their operations.”

“Because of the long timescales for many projects, it is essential for businesses and investors to recognize the diverse contributions of ecological restoration including biodiversity conservation, carbon sequestration, and the delivery of other vital ecosystem services.” said panel moderator George Gann, International Policy Lead for SER. “Future-focused businesses understand that restoration standards are an essential benchmarking tool for organizations to measure progress and balance interests during the entirety of the restoration process.”

Hanieh Moghani, member of the Advisory Board for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, and an advocate for Indigenous rights, said: “If we are asking businesses to move from business-as-usual to a more practically sustainable and restorative model, we have to also ask them to evolve their engagement with Indigenous peoples and local communities. As industry transforms its behavior to the earth, so too must it transform its behavior to the first peoples of the earth.”

Principles 7 and 8 of SER’s International Principles and Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration illustrate the cumulative value of restoration at scale and reinforce the importance of recognizing the restoration journey as part of a continuum. The Standards help funders, regulators, project planners, and implementers reduce uncertainty and improve outcomes from restoration. 

The panel discussion made clear that business as usual is insufficient and ineffective to meet the urgent social and ecological challenges of our time, and that it’s time for business to take more holistic and proactive steps to incorporate ecological restoration and other nature positive approaches into their daily business practices in all aspects of their work.

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About the Society for Ecological Restoration
 
The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) advances the science, practice and policy of ecological restoration to sustain biodiversity, improve resilience in a changing climate, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture. An international non-profit organization with over 5,000 members in more than 110 countries, we actively promote participatory, knowledge-based approaches to restoration. Learn more about our work at www.ser.org.
 
About the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, led by the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and its partners, covers terrestrial as well as coastal and marine ecosystems. As a global call to action, it will draw together political support, scientific research and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration. Find out how you can contribute to the UN Decade. Follow #GenerationRestoration.

For more information please contact:
 
Media Contact - Society for Ecological Restoration
Florencia Panizza
florencia@claro-comm.com


Media Contact - UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
Moses Osani
Public Information Officer, 
UN Environment Programme (UNEP) 
moses.osani@un.org 


SER2023 Conference Contact:
Bethanie Walder
Society for Ecological Restoration
bethanie@ser.org

Traditional Ecological Knowledge and scientific innovation together drive positive outcomes for people and nature

Darwin, Australia, Wednesday, 27 September 2023 – SER2023, the 10th World Conference on Ecological Restoration, was inaugurated this morning by Dr. Richard Fejo “Uncle Richie”, a Larrakia Elder from Darwin who has dedicated his life to advocating for and supporting aboriginal people in the Northern Territories. Uncle Richie’s Welcome to Country set the stage for the largest global meeting of restoration experts, calling on delegates to listen and learn from each other as they gather to celebrate and restore the connection between people and nature.

The event’s opening plenary session explored this connection, emphasizing the importance for institutions to collaborate with local Indigenous peoples and knowledge in restoration from the start. Kia Dowell, a Gija woman from Warmun Community in Western Australia and Chair of Gelganyem Limited, works to support the empowerment and inclusion of Traditional Owners in the rehabilitation of the Argyle Diamond Mine. Supported by the Board of Traditional Owners and guided by Elders, her leadership has helped create a model that ensures Traditional Owners’ social, cultural, economic and caring for country needs are being met.

“There have been many lessons learned from our work at Argyle, but among the most important is the power of partnerships to bring about change,” said Ms. Dowell. “But this is not easy work. It is not just an environmental issue, it has deep cultural importance. The Traditional Owners have an ancient spiritual connection with the land. Its return to their stewardship for restoration will heal the former mine site using Traditional Ecological Knowledge passed down through generations, and reclaim our people’s connection with this land for future generations.”

Alongside her, Lucy Mulenkei, a Masaai from Kenya, Executive Director of Indigenous Information Network and Advisory Board member for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, emphasized the role played by Indigenous women who are at the forefront of the fight to restore their lands, especially as they are often the most impacted by land and ecosystem degradation.

“Communication and engagement with everyone - women, children, youth, elders - in indigenous communities is essential for successful restoration. Inclusion is how we drive action,” said Ms. Mulenkei. “Importantly, restoration can only be considered successful if it results in outcomes that are positive for nature in all its forms, including increasing biodiversity, and for people, driving social benefits for local communities. Because these go hand in hand.”

The need to draw on the experience of diverse stakeholders and integrate many different types of knowledge - including Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) alongside scientific knowledge - is core to Principles 1 and 2 of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) International Principles and Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration, a global framework to guide implementation and measure outcomes of restoration projects.

The sold-out conference has brought together over 1,000 participants from 80 countries, demonstrating the growing momentum of the restoration movement. This exceptional attendance by delegates from around the world reflects an increasing desire to share knowledge and innovations in support of the UN Decade’s ambitions to restore 1 billion hectares of degraded lands worldwide, with similar commitments encouraged for marine and coastal areas.

“SER2023 has provided the UN Decade with a unique platform for engagement with academics, scientists, and practitioners at the forefront of ecosystem restoration,” said Natalia Alekseeva, Coordinator for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, UN Environment Programme (UNEP). “SER is one of the Global Partners of the Decade and by convening our Advisory Board at the conference, we have been able to draw first-hand from the expertise of this global community.”

Over the next four days, 750 symposia, talks, posters, workshops, field trips, and training sessions will explore restoration topics across all continents, ecosystems, and scales guided by SER’s International Principles and Standards. Participants are presenting and discussing indigenous and local restoration knowledge, field-based restoration innovations, global databases, innovative eco-technologies, community projects, inspirational approaches, and much more.

Plenary sessions from the conference will be live-streamed each day via this link and are available for replay upon request.

For more information and the full conference program, please visit www.ser2023.org

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About the Society for Ecological Restoration

 The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) advances the science, practice and policy of ecological restoration to sustain biodiversity, improve resilience in a changing climate, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture. An international non-profit organization with over 5,000 members in more than 110 countries, we actively promote participatory, knowledge-based approaches to restoration. Learn more about our work at www.ser.org.
 
About the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, led by the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and its partners, covers terrestrial as well as coastal and marine ecosystems. As a global call to action, it will draw together political support, scientific research and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration. Find out how you can contribute to the UN Decade. Follow #GenerationRestoration.

For more information please contact:
 
Media contact - SER2023
Florencia Panizza
Claro Communications Consulting
florencia@claro-comm.com
 
Media Contact - UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
Moses Osani
Public Information Officer, 
UN Environment Programme (UNEP) 
moses.osani@un.org 
 
SER2023 Conference Contact:
Bethanie Walder
Society for Ecological Restoration
bethanie@ser.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

19 September 2023

DARWIN, AUSTRALIA – Tuesday, 19 September 2023 – The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) will be hosting the 10th World Conference on Ecological Restoration, SER2023, from September 26 – 30, 2023 in Darwin, Australia.

The sold-out event will convene over 1000 participants from more than 80 countries – the largest global gathering of top scientists, practitioners and policy-makers in ecological restoration. Delegates will share new research, debate pressing issues, and explore innovations in ecological restoration practice. The conference theme focuses on celebrating and restoring the relationship between people and nature.

The choice of Darwin to host the event reflects the value of this unique community in the global efforts to restore our critical ecosystems, recognizes the importance of the Larrakia people as the traditional custodians of country throughout the Darwin region, and celebrates their engagement in restoration.

“We are thrilled to be hosting SER2023 in Australia,” said Professor Bruce Clarkson, People, Cities and Nature Programme Leader at the University of Waikato, Chair of SER Australasia and Co-Chair of SER2023. “We have seen first-hand the devastation that can be caused by the triple crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and desertification. But we are also a leader in developing the science and policies that can help mitigate and adapt to these threats. SER2023 offers a unique opportunity to share ideas, open dialogues, and increase awareness about the vital importance of ecological restoration.”

“The community of restoration ecologists, practitioners and influencers joining us at SER2023 is at the forefront of global scientific knowledge,” added Anita Diederichsen, Global Lead Forest Landscape Restoration, WWF and Co-Chair of SER2023. “This global community works tirelessly to repair landscapes, research the most advanced processes, and develop innovative solutions to the degradation of land and ocean ecosystems. And because of their deep knowledge and experience, they also understand that human and ecological wellbeing are absolutely interwoven. This gathering allows us all to increase our capacity for high quality implementation and impact, and contribute to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.”

The opening plenary session at SER2023 will highlight the importance of Indigenous-led restoration. It will feature Kia Dowell, a Gija woman from the Warmun Community, who’s wide-reaching work empowering indigenous communities includes ensuring the rights of Traditional Owners following mine site closures. She will be joined by Lucy Mulenkei, a Masaai leader from Kenya who is  an expert in biodiversity and gender issues, and who served as the first Co-Chair of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Advisory Board. Kia and Lucy will discuss the importance of meaningful indigenous engagement in all aspects of restoration.

In a high-level plenary panel, business leaders Frank Mars, a fourth-generation member of the Mars family, and Henri Douche, Head of Product and Innovation at SCOR, one of the world’s largest reinsurance agencies, will discuss the business case for ecological restoration. They will be joined by policy advisor Julia Oliva of the Union for Ethical BioTrade and Hanie Moghani, Expert Member and Vice Chair of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII). Additional plenary sessions will address community-led restoration and scaling up.

More information on all plenary sessions and speakers is available here.

“Ecological restoration is inherently transformative, helping to rebuild the human connection with nature,” said Bethanie Walder, Executive Director of SER. “Inviting predominantly indigenous speakers to address the plenary sessions reflects a deliberate desire to elevate voices that are too often ignored. By ignoring these voices, we have disregarded vital local and global knowledge about restoring nature and re-establishing reciprocity between humans and the environment.”

Symposia, workshops and other sessions throughout the four-day event will cover diverse themes including urban restoration, designing Australia’s ecosystem restoration targets, mine restoration, seed technology innovation in the context of climate change, and accounting for natural capital. The full conference program can be viewed here. 

As a lead partner to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, SER2023 will also host the annual meeting of the UN Decade Advisory Board, with the UN Decade Flagship Pavilion exploring best practices for repairing nature and enhancing human wellbeing, including the importance of standards in the planning, implementation and monitoring of restoration projects.

To further highlight the wide range of voices and perspectives on ecological restoration, the conference is hosting an international film festival competition, with participation from both amateur and professional film-makers exploring the relationship between people, science, restoration and environment. SER will also be presenting its biennial awards throughout the week to honor outstanding contributions to advancing the field of ecological restoration, recognizing individuals and institutions for their excellence in restoration science, practice, and public engagement.

More information about the conference, please visit SER2023.org. 

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About The Society for Ecological Restoration 
The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) advances the science, practice and policy of ecological restoration to sustain biodiversity, improve resilience in a changing climate, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture. An international non-profit organization with more than 4,500 members in more than 110 countries, we actively promote participatory, knowledge-based approaches to restoration. Learn more about our work at www.ser.org.


For more information, please contact:

Media:
Florencia Panizza
Claro Communications Consulting
+41 79 633 6184
florencia@claro-comm.com

Membership:
Laura Munley Capponi
Director of Membership and Strategic Development
Society for Ecological Restoration
laura@ser.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 22, 2023

Contact: Olga Kildisheva, olga.kildisheva@tnc.org

Documentary series explores urgent efforts to grow the native seed supply chain in the western United States

WASHINGTON, DC - The International Network for Seed-based Restoration, a thematic section of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER-INSR) is releasing a nine-part video series this summer about the native seed supply chain in the western United States. Filmed over four seasons, the series explores the people working to increase the supply of native seeds to meet the growing restoration demand, weaving together footage of seed collectors, farmers, researchers, and land managers. Viewers will see the staggering scale of damage to vast landscapes and meet tenacious people who are finding creative, scrappy solutions to restore ecosystems.

“Plants and their seeds are chronically overlooked,” said Nancy Shaw, U.S. Forest Service scientist emeritus and SER-INSR board member. “But plants underpin all life. They’re essential for our survival, well-being, and inspiration.”

The idea for the video series came as a follow-up to the International Standards for Native Seeds in Ecological Restoration, published in 2020, a series of scientific articles examining key steps in the native seed supply chain and providing a framework for the “standards” that need to be applied to achieve strong and reliable native seed supply chains. The scientists behind the papers hope to use the film to make the findings more accessible and to broaden public understanding of the essential role native plants play in mitigating the effects of climate change and maintaining biodiversity. SER-INSR enlisted Holden Films, a West Coast-based production company, to transform the papers into a human-centered documentary series.

“Helping create this series gave me an appreciation for how the smallest of seeds can have the mightiest impact on the world around us,” said McKenna Asakawa, series producer and co- director. “I hope viewers walk away with a bit of awe—both for seeds and the people who care so much about them.”

The need for seed has never been greater, as climate-related disasters escalate in intensity and frequency. Land managers are going to need a lot of seed—specifically, locally adapted and genetically diverse native seed—to restore land damaged by wildfires, floods, and human development.

“The UN has estimated that we need to restore 350 million hectares of land degraded by climate, weather, or just human use globally. We have estimated that we need 1.9 billion tons of seed to do that restoration,” said Peggy Olwell, Bureau of Land Management Plant Conservation and Restoration Program Lead, and one of the key contributors to the creation of the series. “The restoration need for locally adapted native seed is outpacing the supply that’s available for us to buy commercially.”

Creating a thriving seed supply chain is rife with challenges. Collectors must not damage the often-scarce populations of wild seed; farmers must learn how to mass produce native plants of all sizes, shapes, and harvest times; managers must find economical ways to successfully plant seeds on thousands of acres; and researchers must work across the seed supply chain to bring science-based solutions to tackle key challenges. At stake is not only the ecological integrity of our landscapes, but also people’s cultural connection to plants, including Indigenous land management practices and relationships with native flora.

“Native plants are also first foods, which goes back to the historical land management practice,” said Jeremiah Pinto, U.S. Forest Service Research Plant Physiologist and Tribal Nursery Specialist. “These are the plants that kept us alive on the landscape. They can be used for restoration, used for food, used for culture.”

Viewers can watch episodes for free on SER-INSR’s website (ser-insr.org/native-seed-film), with episodes posted weekly starting June 29. The summer series will culminate in the release of a feature-length film version of the series on August 24. 

SER-INSR is hosting a webinar on August 31, to launch the film series. In this webinar, representatives from the Bureau of Land Management, SER-INSR, The Nature Conservancy, and Holden Films will discuss the production of the nine-part video series from both a scientific and cinematographic perspective and share stories of this incredible journey. Register for the webinar here.

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International Network for Seed-based Restoration (INSR) operates as a thematic section of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) to foster understanding and advancement of seed ecology, conservation, and seed-based restoration of degraded systems. Consider becoming a member of INSR by joining SER and selecting INSR as one of the Chapters & Sections from the menu provided.

"Native Seeds: Supplying Restoration" Trailer: https://vimeo.com/828146212/ddac640f14 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 8, 2023

Contact: Bethanie Walder, bethanie@ser.org

Microsoft and Society for Ecological Restoration announce new standards-based ecological restoration collaboration

WASHINGTON, DC - Recognizing that restoration is key to addressing the biodiversity and climate crises, and with the intent to achieve the greatest possible restoration outcomes, the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) and Microsoft are pleased to announce a collaboration that will provide technical and field support to implement standards-based ecological restoration projects in communities hosting Microsoft datacenters across the world. All projects will be designed and implemented with local partners and community members, and are intended to support both nature and people.

For 35 years, SER has been a leader advancing the science, practice, and policy of ecological restoration. As the only global organization dedicated solely to this work, SER upholds the integrity of the practice of ecological restoration and of the science of restoration ecology. SER provides a science-based voice to advance impactful, outcomes-oriented, ecological restoration as a proactive solution to global ecological and social crises, including climate change. SER is thrilled to collaborate with one of the world’s largest technology corporations to help improve the delivery of ecosystem benefits for communities, such as cleaner air and water. 

“One of the best things about this collaboration is that it encourages local organizations and community members, as well as Microsoft employees, to go outside and get their hands dirty restoring their backyard. Well-designed, well-implemented ecological restoration is a positive, empowering, solutions-based approach to local and global challenges. Microsoft’s commitment to standards-based restoration shows they take sustainability seriously,” said SER Executive Director Bethanie Walder.

“Microsoft is proud to partner with SER to deliver standards-based ecological restoration in the communities where we operate. SER is a fantastic organization that brings a worldwide membership network with practical ecological restoration know-how, globally-recognized standards, and incredible passion and commitment to implementing the best possible restoration solutions on the ground,” said Holly Beale, Senior Program Manager for Microsoft. 

SER’s International Principles and Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration (published in 2016, 2nd Edition published in 2019) are the go-to standard, globally, for designing, implementing, and evaluating ecological restoration projects to achieve the greatest social and ecological benefits. Restoration is an emerging science and ecosystems are naturally dynamic; applying the SER Standards to ecological restoration projects helps businesses like Microsoft reduce both risk and uncertainty, leading to greater positive outcomes from their community investment in restoration. 

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The Society for Ecological Restoration works to ensure that ecological restoration is recognized and utilized as a fundamental component of global conservation, biodiversity, and sustainable development programs, and that ecological restoration projects are designed and implemented in a way that provides people with the opportunity to not only repair ecological damage, but also improve the human condition. Learn more about our work and get involved in the network: www.ser.org

World’s first global standards for Mine Site restoration - SER launches standards to drive better ecological restoration outcomes in global mining activities

MONTREAL, CANADA – Launched at the Convention on Biological Diversity’s COP15 today, the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) and partners released the International Principles and Standards for the Ecological Restoration and Recovery of Mine Sites, a first-of-its-kind framework with standards for socially and environmentally responsible restoration in global mining activities. 

Governments from around the world are convening to implement actions that will transform society’s relationship with biodiversity and to ensure that, by 2050, the shared vision of living in harmony with nature is fulfilled. With less than 1% of global mines achieving ecosystem restoration and with abandoned and legacy mines taking up an area of at least 50,000 sq km, these global standards are not just timely, but imperative if we are to move from mining reclamation to restoration that truly heals the planet.  

These standards are designed to inspire and drive better restoration outcomes in mining landscapes while supporting the mining industry and stakeholders — including Indigenous peoples and local communities — to address the unique challenges of ecological restoration in mined lands. 

Mining restoration specialist and Chair of SER, Professor Kingsley Dixon said “The Standards come at a time of unprecedented planetary expansion of mining to more than 101,000 sq km.  Yet less than one in each hundred mines have successfully closed and restored the land.  The Standards provide the first global blueprint for helping mining operations to create a net gain for nature and human welfare’.” 

 Dr. Carolyn Jewell, Senior Biodiversity Manager, Heidelberg Materials added “As a company operating extraction sites worldwide, it is important that we minimize our impacts and create value through expanding our contribution to ecological restoration, regardless of whether this is legally required or not. To be a responsible and sustainable company means not only ensuring economic prosperity, but supporting our local communities and the natural environment in which they live. We are proud to have participated in developing these mining restoration standards!” 

SER partnered with the ARC Centre for Mine Site Restoration, Curtin University (Australia), Southern University of Science and Technology (China), and more than a dozen organizations around the world to develop these Standards. It is a living document to be refined as needed. 

“At this time of unparalleled global human impacts, where climate change, land degradation, and biodiversity loss, it’s imperative that all industries, including mining, adopt forward thinking, science-based, effective approaches to begin healing the planet. These new Standards, in combination with the considerable resources of the mining industry, can help address past, current, and future mining impacts,” said lead author, Dr. Renee Young, Program Director Conservation and Restoration, WABSI.

The MSRS and key concepts summary can be accessed at ser.org/mining. Document translations will follow.

###

This document was developed and coordinated by a lead author team representing the Society for Ecological Restoration, the Australian Research Council’s Centre for Mine Site Restoration at Curtin University, and the Southern University of Science and Technology, China.

For more than 30 years, the Society for Ecological Restoration has been working to ensure that ecological restoration is recognized and utilized as a fundamental component of global conservation, biodiversity and sustainable development programs, and that ecological restoration projects are designed and implemented in a way that provides people with the opportunity to not only repair ecological damage, but also improve the human condition. Learn more about our work and get involved in the network: www.ser.org

The Australian Research Council’s Centre for Mine Site Restoration at Curtin University aims to deliver a suite of integrated and focused research projects underpinning successful mining restoration outcomes. Learn more: https://arc-cmsr.org

Southern University of Science and Technology is a public research university located in Shenzhen, China centered on a thriving ecosystem of entrepreneurship, innovation and research. Learn more:  http://www.sustech.edu.cn/

JOINT PRESS RELEASE

21 September, 2021: In Marseille, France, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), leading the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration’s Best Practices Task Force, the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Commission on Ecosystem Management (IUCN CEM) and the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) presented ten principles to underpin ecosystem restoration throughout the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030 during a live, in-person side event held on the past 7 September at the IUCN World Conservation Congress.

To support the implementation of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and its Strategy, these ten principles fulfil two needs: first, the need for a shared vision of ecosystem restoration, and second, the need for guidance to maximize net gain for biodiversity, ecosystem health and integrity, and human health and well-being from all types of restorative projects, programmes and initiatives. 

“"The principles for ecosystem restoration will be a critical tool to guide the implementation of the UN Decade 2021-2030 and to maximize the sustainable production of goods and services” said Christophe Besacier, co-leader of the Best Practices Task Force and Coordinator of the Forest and Landscape Restoration Mechanism at FAO. 

“To fulfil the ambitions of the UN Decade, the next ten years must see a massive acceleration in the pace of global restoration activity,” said Jim Hallett, Vice Chair of SER. “That’s why it is so important to have strong principles, sound science, engaged communities, and a common understanding of the wide array of restorative activities that can heal the planet.”

“Repairing degraded ecosystems is a complex challenge that requires integration of ecological, socio-economic, and cultural perspectives. The principles bring these perspectives together to achieve the highest degree of recovery possible for nature and people” added Angela Andrade, Chair of IUCN’s CEM.

In order to ensure an inclusive and legitimate process to develop principles for ecosystem restoration, the FAO-led Best Practices Task Force, IUCN CEM and SER engaged in a multi-stage process, starting with a synthesis of published principles for distinct types of restorative activities. The synthesis was then used in an expert consultation process during the 3rd Global Forum on Ecological Restoration. After that, a small group of Forum participants from leading global organizations, including the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and World Agroforestry (ICRAF), EcoHealth Network, and the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF), together with FAO, IUCN CEM and SER as lead organizations, revised the synthesis to identify priority themes and to inform an initial, draft set of principles. The draft principles were subjected to an open global consultation survey via the UN Decade website, obtaining 338 responses from 57 countries and 243 organizations.

Feedback from the consultation informed the development of the final set of principles which are applicable across all sectors, biomes and regions. The ten principles state that good ecosystem restoration: 1) contributes to global policy frameworks; 2) promotes fair and inclusive engagement; 3) includes a continuum of restorative activities; 4) aims at the highest recovery possible to benefit nature and people; 5) addresses the causes of degradation; 6) incorporates all types of knowledge; 7) sets ecological, cultural and socio-economic goals; 8) tailors activities to local and land/seascape contexts; 9) measures results and adapts actions; and 10) integrates policies and measures for lasting impacts (see full text in the publication). 

“Restoration is something that everyone, everywhere can engage in – it is inherently cooperative, solutions-oriented, and hopeful. The collaborative spirit through which these UN Decade principles were developed, and the diverse and inclusive nature of the principles, mirror the collaborative, equitable, and inclusive spirit in which the UN Decade is being implemented. The principles lay the foundation for working together to effectively address both the climate and biodiversity crises and thus to benefit nature and people” said Bethanie Walder, Executive Director of SER. 

To foster wide dissemination and adoption of the principles, these will be translated into all UN languages. Likewise, UNEP released a webstory to convey the key messages of the principles for a non-technical audience. The principles will also allow the Best Practices Task Force to define criteria for qualifying good restoration practices, promoting those that are well aligned with them. Finally, the Task Force expects to continue the partnership established with IUCN CEM and SER to pursue the development of Standards of Practice for ecosystem restoration as an important tool to provide practical guidance for implementing restoration. Click here to download the publication.

- ENDS  -

About the FAO-led Best Practices Task Force 

To boost actions for the implementation of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, an FAO-led Best Practices Task Force was established to prepare guiding principles and enhance knowledge dissemination and capacity development efforts over the next ten years. With more than 100 members from 55 leading global organizations, the Task Force is a broad network of experts from all ecosystems that welcomes new members every day. 

About the Society for Ecological Restoration

The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) advances the science, practice and policy of ecological restoration to sustain biodiversity, improve resilience in a changing climate, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture. An international non-profit organization with more than 4,000 members in more than 85 countries, SER actively promotes participatory, knowledge-based approaches to restoration. 

About IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management

The IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management’s (CEM) is a network of professionals and experts. Its Mission is to develop and share expert guidance on ecosystem-based approaches to management and use of natural and modified ecosystems to achieve both biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. 

Contacts

FAO-led Best Practices Task Force  

Christophe Besacier (Rome)

Forestry Officer, Forest and Landscape Restoration Mechanism, Forestry Division

Christophe.Besacier@fao.org

Vera Boerger (Rome)

Senior Land and Water Officer, Land and Water Division

Vera.Boerger@fao.org

IUCN CEM

Cara Nelson (Montana)

Lead, Ecosystem Restoration Thematic Group

cara.nelson@mso.umt.edu

SER

Bethanie Walder (Washington DC)

Executive Director

bethanie@ser.org

Society for Ecological Restoration Announces 10th World Conference on Ecological Restoration to be Hosted in Darwin, Australia 

Curtin University’s Professor Kingsley Dixon to be new Global Board Chair

Washington, DC and Darwin, Australia - Monday June 28, 2021 - At the conclusion of its 9th World Conference on Ecological Restoration, the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) announced that Kingsley Dixon, Distinguished Professor in the School of Molecular and Life Sciences at Curtin University in Perth will become the Chair of the Board on 1 July 2021. SER also announced that its 10th World Conference, SER2023, will take place in Darwin, Australia.

Supported by Tourism Australia’s Business Events Bid Fund Program, SER2023 will be hosted in Darwin, located in the Northern Territory of Australia, because of its deep heritage and ties to Australian aboriginal knowledge and customs. The local Larrakia, or water people, are the traditional owners of the Darwin region. The region’s deep connection to aboriginal techniques for management of lands is coupled with world-class research into restoration at Charles Darwin University.   

“I am delighted that SER will be hosting our next World Conference in my native Australia. Darwin’s unique location and ecosystems, along with the significance of the region to traditional indigenous cultures, will offer conference delegates new perspectives and insights into restoration,” said Kingsley Dixon, incoming Chair of SER. “An exciting part of the conference will be the opportunity for delegates to engage with indigenous communities in northern Australia who represent one of the oldest continuous cultures in the world.”

Professor Dixon was Foundation Director of Science at Kings Park and Botanic Garden for 32 years. His research has resulted in Western Australia (WA) being recognised as an international hub in mining restoration environmental science. His extensive research has resulted in discoveries that have transformed the horticultural and mining restoration industries, biodiversity conservation and restoration of damaged landscapes, and he was featured in David Attenborough’s award winning BBC series The Private Life of Plants.

SER2021, a fully virtual conference, concluded this week. The interactive virtual platform, combined with SER’s new open doors membership and registration program, and the translation of keynote sessions into five key global languages increased access to a wider community. More than 1300 delegates participated from 68 countries and included restoration practitioners, scientists, land managers, indigenous people, government and non-governmental organizational staff, volunteers, and other interested people. 

“We were delighted at the success of this year’s virtual event,” said Bethanie Walder, SER’s Executive Director. “It enabled us to try new approaches and engage a more diverse audience. And we are very excited at the opportunity to meet once again in person, in Darwin. Through a hybrid approach, we will bring the best of the online format, together with the unique advantages of an in-person event to maximize the value of networking with peers, and the ability to share knowledge with the global restoration community.” 

About the Society for Ecological Restoration

The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) advances the science, practice and policy of ecological restoration to sustain biodiversity, improve resilience in a changing climate, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture. An international non-profit organization with almost 4,000 members in more than 85 countries, we actively promote participatory, knowledge-based approaches to restoration. Learn more about our work at www.ser.org.

For more information please contact:

Media contact:

Florencia Panizza

Claro Communications Consulting

florencia@claro-comm.com

P: +1 437 992 1204

Society for Ecological Restoration:

Bethanie Walder

Society for Ecological Restoration

bethanie@ser.org

P: +1 406-543-5926

All Nations Must Invest in Ecological Restoration to Achieve Measurable Improvements in Social and Ecological Conditions by 2030

Collective action is needed to ensure the success of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

Washington DC - Friday, June 25, 2021 - The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) concluded its 9th World Conference on Ecological Restoration, SER2021, with a powerful call to action to nations around the world: conservation alone is not enough. We must invest in restoration and rebuild degraded areas to improve biodiversity, increase habitat for wildlife, enhance soils and watersheds, support economic resiliency, and better confront a changing climate, all of which are critical to supporting human health and wellbeing. Further, expanding justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of ecosystem restoration is imperative for the success of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

A fully virtual conference, SER2021 was the organization’s most accessible conference to date. Over 1,300 participants from 70 countries took part in the event over 4 days.

“The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration presents a unique opportunity to reverse climate change and secure a healthy, sustainable and just future for people and nature,” said Karma Bouazza, Co-Chair of SER2021. “This Decade is for all of us. We must all feel empowered to act, knowing that through collective individual actions we can have global impact.”

SER’s call to action urged all nations, people, and sectors to embrace the UN Decade in both spirit and action, to:

1. Implement ecological restoration worldwide to achieve measurable improvements in both social and ecological conditions by 2030. 

2. Champion the UN Decade Principles for Ecosystem Restoration as the foundation for all restorative activities that are to be implemented in the name of, and measured towards, UN Decade goals to achieve net improvement for both nature and people.

3. Where appropriate, prioritize ecological restoration over less impactful interventions in order to generate the greatest potential improvement in both ecological and social conditions.

4. Elevate restoration of non-forest ecosystems (e.g. wetlands, marine ecosystems, grasslands, drylands) as equally important to forests, in terms of financial and political investment, media coverage, capacity building, and assessments of the benefits of restoration.

5. Equitably finance all aspects of the ecosystem restoration agenda in a sustainable, transparent, and just manner, including distribution of benefits from restoration, that recognizes and supports local knowledge and capacity building.

6. Prioritize and resolve key governance challenges that impede restoration, such as ineffective policies, perverse incentives, poor participatory mechanisms, and conflicts over land and resource rights.

“Dr Robin Wall Kimmerer was perhaps the first to describe restoration as an ‘antidote to despair’. Throughout this conference we have seen the transformative power of restoration for individuals, for local communities, for entire countries, and even for entire continents,” added Luiz Moraes, Co-Chair of SER2021. “Ecological restoration delivers clean water, supports healthy soils for food production, protects biodiversity, and helps keep our planet cool. It enhances the safety and security of our planet and all its species. Most importantly, it provides hope. Though it may not be easy, it is essential for our future and for our children’s future.”

Read the 9th World Conference Call to Action here.

About the Society for Ecological Restoration

The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) advances the science, practice and policy of ecological restoration to sustain biodiversity, improve resilience in a changing climate, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture. An international non-profit organization with over 4,000 members in more than 85 countries, we actively promote participatory, knowledge-based approaches to restoration. Learn more about our work at www.ser.org.

For more information please contact:

Media contact:

Florencia Panizza

Claro Communications Consulting

florencia@claro-comm.com

P: +1 437 992 1204

Society for Ecological Restoration:

Bethanie Walder

Society for Ecological Restoration

bethanie@ser.org

P: +406-543-5926

Female Trailblazers Demonstrate How Restoration Can Revive Ecosystems and Communities Under the Most Challenging Conditions

Middle East North Africa Region Poses Unique Restoration 

Challenges

Thursday June 24, 2021 - To open the final day at SER2021, the 9th World Conference on Ecological Restoration, three exceptional women discussed the unique and difficult contexts in which they are pushing the boundaries of restoration. 

Among the challenges to ecosystems in Jordan are urbanization, overgrazing, deforestation, soil erosion, desertification and pollution. But, says Princess Basma bint Ali of Jordan, founder of the Royal Botanical Garden in Jordan, “the most exasperating of all is water scarcity: where there is no water, there is no life. And this is directly linked to climate change as our main source of water is rainfall and the recharge of our aquifers."

Ongoing conflict in the region and an influx of refugees in recent years, compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, has put tremendous pressure on the land. Resources and support for the growing population are limited. Overgrazing is rife, as is the increase in agricultural use leading to severe land degradation.

More than three quarters of the population in Jordan are reported not to be able to meet basic needs. Only 7% of households are working as before, with half stating they have lost their livelihoods.

Climate change is also having a disproportionate impact in the region. By the middle of the century winter temperatures are expected to be 2.5 degrees above historical averages, and 5 degrees higher in summer.

Maya Nehme, Director of the Lebanon Reforestation Initiative, explained how she finds the Society for Ecological Restoration’s Restorative Continuum to be a perfect tool for approaching restoration in the region.

In a country that has changed borders and experienced so much war and conflict over the years, that still struggles to provide basic garbage service, the first step in the continuum, reducing societal impacts, is Lebanon Reforestation Initiative's starting point,” said Dr. Nehme. “This means putting a lot of work into things like conflict resolution and community engagement.”

LRI created a very strong youth group with Lebanese community members and Syrian refugees, and developed other educational programs to engage all community members around one high-impact goal: restoration.

“When you have built a strong community base you can move along the continuum,” says Dr. Nehme. “But in a region like Lebanon, because of the political issues, stability and continuity are kind of a rare thing. Getting the concept of repairing ecosystem function into the mindset of a population that’s trying, such as in Beirut, to repair their windows after the blast that devastated their capital, is not easy." 

LRI  shares success stories to engage community members in the process and to create buy-in and support for all of the outcomes of restoration, both economic and ecological, including biodiversity. 

Specific examples included working closely with shepherds to map areas that they could use for grazing, and areas that would be set aside for restoration. They also offered them incentives when they could, and engaged them in paid restoration work when funds were available. Now, new grazing approaches are assisting with fire protection and prevention. Shepherds have become the guardians of the sites. LRI also implements important and highly successful community reforestation programs - working across the wide variety of ecosystems in Lebanon to preserve and restore biodiversity.

Dr. Samira A.S. Omar recently finished a 5-year term as Director of the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research. She continues to be  a leading researcher and advocate for post-conflict restoration across Kuwait, while championing new research and innovations in dryland restoration globally, including through her and KISR’s generous support for Restoration Ecology-Arid Lands, the first thematic series of SER’s journal, Restoration Ecology, with two issues already published to date. 

Past wars in the Kuwait region created unique and challenging restoration needs including from oil spills and oil well arson, and all of the associated impacts. “Nearly US$3 billion from the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) has been invested for restoration and rehabilitation from destruction and burning of oil wells during the Kuwait war,” she said. “At the Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research we have developed a diversity of restoration programs. A lot of scientific elements and a lot of political decisions have gone into the remediation program. All this management is required to make sure the program is implemented in accordance with UNCC requirements.”

Dr. Omar pointed to the importance of engaging women from the MENA region in the  science and technology of restoration, and to giving them a strong voice in regional and global meetings. 

All three speakers agreed that engaging women in this region will help restoration happen more quickly and more effectively and with greater social and community impact. Women bring unique contributions to the restoration agenda and they help create a culture of restoration in their communities. In addition, restoration helps create important and equitable economic opportunities for women. Getting to the final stage of the restorative continuum - fully recovered native ecosystems - can only be done with full engagement of all local stakeholders and with close regional and international collaboration.

“There are no borders in the environment,” said Princess Basma bint Ali “We need to be looking at how we can stop fragmentation of forests in the north, or rangelands in the south by creating a regional strategy and make it a priority for decision-makers. They often don't understand the importance of restoration to the socio-economic futures of our countries. Many of the issues we are facing can be addressed with restoration and it is a really really vital tool that we can use.”

She closed the session with a powerful reminder: “Our ecosystems have an intrinsic right to life and to exist. As stewards of the earth we have a duty to ensure that we manage it not just for utilitarian purposes, but to hand it over to the next generation. We don’t own it.”

About the Society for Ecological Restoration

The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) advances the science, practice and policy of ecological restoration to sustain biodiversity, improve resilience in a changing climate, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture. An international non-profit organization with over 4,000 members in more than 85 countries, we actively promote participatory, knowledge-based approaches to restoration. Learn more about our work at www.ser.org.

For more information please contact:

Media contact:

Florencia Panizza

Claro Communications Consulting

florencia@claro-comm.com

P: +1 437 992 1204

Society for Ecological Restoration:

Bethanie Walder

Society for Ecological Restoration

bethanie@ser.org

P: +406-543-5926

Transnational Restoration Projects Serve as Blueprint for Global Action Needed to Restore 1 Billion Hectares by 2030

Leaders emphasize the need for community and collaboration at the heart of large-scale projects

Washington DC - Wednesday, June 23, 2021 - The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration has identified the need to restore at least 1 billion hectares of degraded lands by 2030, with marine and aquatic restoration equally important. Landscapes are not restricted by national borders and speakers today at the 9th World Conference on Ecological Restoration, SER2021, emphasized the need for effective transnational collaboration along with deep community engagement in order for the UN’s goals to be achieved. 

One of the most ambitious large-scale restoration projects of this generation is Africa’s Great Green Wall. It is planned for completion in 2030 and will be the largest human-made living “structure” on earth. The project was launched in 2007 by the African Union to tackle the effects of natural resource depletion in the drylands around the Sahara and particularly the Sahel, an area that’s home to approximately 256 million people.

“The pan-African agency was set up to help monitor and coordinate the progress of the implementation of the Great Green Wall,” explained Moctar Sacande of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), an advisor to the project, during a presentation today: “The agency came up with a harmonized regional strategy, within which different countries set up their national action plans.”

However, most important of all, explained Sacande, is consulting with local communities, whose engagement and input is fundamental to the project’s success. “Our model for approaching large-scale restoration considered the community first and foremost,” he said. “They must be at the heart of restoration governance...we consulted closely with community groups on their preferences for plant species and objectives of the restoration. From these questionnaires, we collected over 200 species in 13 countries that local people consider essential for medicine, food, fuel and other important uses.” 

The topic for the second plenary on Day 3 of SER2021 will be the restoration of the Colorado River Delta. It is another transnational partnership that is helping to protect the water supply to seven states in the US and Mexico impacting almost 40 million people, including all of the major cities in the US Southwest. 

The river has been overused. It no longer flows to the sea and reservoirs in the US today hold less than 40% of their full capacity for water storage. Projections show a further decrease in supply, as water evaporates in a warming climate, and increased demand as populations continue to grow in the region.

While water shortages are a threat in the southwestern US and northwestern Mexico, in Mexico the drying of the Delta also endangers the indigenous Cucapa, or river people, whose culture has evolved with the river and who rely on it for fish. The basin has a vast diversity of habitat types and is  home to around 380 species of birds.  Millions of migratory birds use the Delta each year; it is an essential part of the continental flyway and a priority wetland for bird conservation in North America.

Osvel Hinojosa-Huerta has worked on the restoration of the Colorado River Delta for almost 25 years, originally in Mexico and now with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. In a keynote plenary session that will run this evening, June 23, at 6:45pm ET, he will highlight the importance of collaboration for the project’s success. “A very important part of the process of restoring the Delta was what we called the Conservation Priorities,” he says. “This was developed by a coalition of environmental organizations ...as well as academics and agencies from both sides of the border. It was about bringing people together to define what restoration means, and building a common understanding and vision for the Delta.” 

The main outcome of these discussions was a consensus on what was possible. The group understood that the Delta could not be restored to what it had been 100 years earlier, but came to realize that there was a lot of potential based on the resilience. The coalition of NGOs from the US and Mexico became Raise the River.

“With growing interest in the potential for ecosystem restoration in the Colorado River Delta, NGOs who had been talking with each other across the border...realized that in order to advance that vision, we really had to have help not only from the fish and wildlife agencies but also from the water managers and the water users,” says Jennifer Pitt, Colorado River Program Director with the National Audubon Society. “There were a lot of meetings over many many years...bringing together such a diverse group of people really was a challenge. And yet, [these regular meetings] allowed people to form relationships and understand each other...Today we have a shared, equal commitment from the two countries to support the restoration of the Delta.”

Restoration projects in key areas of Delta aimed to recover the area’s native vegetation for the benefit of biodiversity and for people. Over 440 hectares of riparian forest have been restored, supporting native vegetation and bird communities. Along with the ecological goals, the project has achieved important social goals for the local communities on the Delta, providing them with water for recreation and enhancing their connection with nature.

Rivers, watersheds, mountain ranges, and the wildlife who depend on them, do not follow national borders. The transnational restoration projects featured at SER2021 illustrate the importance of cooperation across borders and the global ecological benefits such partnerships can create. These case studies confirm that we really can catalyze global change through the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. 

About the Society for Ecological Restoration

The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) advances the science, practice and policy of ecological restoration to sustain biodiversity, improve resilience in a changing climate, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture. An international non-profit organization with over 4,000 members in more than 85 countries, we actively promote participatory, knowledge-based approaches to restoration. Learn more about our work at www.ser.org.

For more information please contact:

Media contact:

Florencia Panizza

Claro Communications Consulting

florencia@claro-comm.com

P: +1 437 992 1204

Society for Ecological Restoration:

Bethanie Walder

Society for Ecological Restoration

bethanie@ser.org

P: +406-543-5926

Leaders Urge Prioritization of Wetland Restoration to Fight Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss

Panelists at SER2021 highlight economic benefits of wetland preservation and restoration

Washington DC - Tuesday, June 22, 2021 -  Top academics and NGO experts joined leaders from the UN Environment Program (UNEP) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to highlight the vital importance of wetland restoration for addressing the dual planetary crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. 

“While it’s important to look at all ecosystems, wetlands are particularly important,” said Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. “Particularly for the ecosystem functions and services they provide, such as recycling and moderation of water for freshwater ecosystems to thrive and as essential habitats for migratory species.”

Peatlands are particularly crucial in the fight against climate change. They are powerful carbon sinks - estimates suggest that peatlands store the same amount of carbon that is contained in all terrestrial biomass and twice as much as in all the world’s forest biomass. And, when degraded, they emit vast quantities of greenhouse gases. While peatlands can and are being restored, it is a long-term, not a short-term process. 

“We need to be sure our restoration action takes special care and notice of irrecoverable carbon – these are vast stores of carbon that could be released due to human activity and, if lost, cannot be restored by 2050,” said Dianna Kopansky, Coordinator of UNEP-led Global Peatlands Initiative, Speaking at SER2021, the 9th World Conference on Ecological Restoration.

Ms.Kopansky and Ms. Mrema were speaking on a high-level plenary panel at SER2021 titled, UN Decade on Restoration: Responding to Climate Destabilization and Wetland/Biodiversity Loss, alongside Professor Brendan Mackey of Griffith University, Professor William Moomaw of Tufts University and Jane Madwick, CEO of Wetlands International.

The panel highlighted the proven benefits of restoring wetlands for biodiversity conservation, food and water security, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and disaster prevention. 

“Wetlands are the standout ecosystems in terms of biodiversity and in their contribution to Earth’s life support,” said Jane Madgwick, CEO of Wetlands International. “Looking to the future, it seems undeniable that we must safeguard the remaining more-or-less intact wetlands and their resilience, plus regenerate others on a big scale for a safe, biodiverse and liveable planet.” 

Approximately 25% of all wetland species currently face extinction. And there are proven economic benefits of wetland restoration. The World Resources Institute estimates that for each $1 USD invested, restoration can generate up to $30 USD in economic benefits over time, and halting the decline of ecosystem services could prevent losses of $10 trillion in global income by 2050. 

The very recent report from a co-sponsored Workshop on Biodiversity and Climate Change by the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPBES-IPCC) emphasized: “Restoring carbon- and species-rich ecosystems on land and in the ocean is also highly effective for both climate change mitigation and biodiversity, with large adaptation co-benefits.” 

Bethanie Walder, Executive Director of SER, said of the findings: “Not only are the climate change and biodiversity crises two sides of the same coin, but ecological restoration can no longer be thought of as separate from the vital work needed to address these two issues in order to protect human health and societal wellbeing.”

About the Society for Ecological Restoration

The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) advances the science, practice and policy of ecological restoration to sustain biodiversity, improve resilience in a changing climate, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture. An international non-profit organization with over 4,000 members in more than 85 countries, we actively promote participatory, knowledge-based approaches to restoration. Learn more about our work at www.ser.org.

For more information please contact:

Media contact:

Florencia Panizza

Claro Communications Consulting

florencia@claro-comm.com

P: +1 437 992 1204

Society for Ecological Restoration:

Bethanie Walder

Society for Ecological Restoration

bethanie@ser.org

P: +406-543-5926

Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer Urges Biocultural Approach to Restoration of Degraded Ecosystems at 9th World Conference on Ecological Restoration

Success in restoration requires complementary insights from Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Western scientific knowledge

Washington DC - Monday, June 21, 2021 - Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, Distinguished Professor of Environmental and Forest Biology at State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, today gave an urgent and impassioned plea to repair the ‘broken relationship between land and culture’. During the opening ceremony for SER2021, the 9th World Conference on Ecological Restoration, Dr. Kimmerer offered a biocultural approach to restoration that draws on Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in complement with Western scientific knowledge.

“Repair of ecosystem structure and function alone is insufficient - restoration of a respectful, reciprocal relationship to the natural world is also essential for long term success,” said Dr. Kimmerer, addressing the largest virtual gathering of restoration scientists, practitioners, policy-makers and students at SER2021, the biennial World Conference of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER).”In many cases it is not only the land that has been broken, it’s our relationship to land that has been broken. So our work in restoration needs to heal [that] relationship, as well as the land.” 

Dr. Kimmerer described the necessity of a biocultural approach to ecosystem restoration as, “a framework for a broader, decolonizing vision of restoration, which is grounded of the indigenous worldview, [through which] repair of ecosystem services contributes to cultural revitalization, and renewal of culture promotes restoration of ecological integrity”.

Taking place at the start of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, SER2021 has brought together over 1,300 participants from 68 countries to share knowledge and innovations in support of the UN Decade’s ambitions to restore 1 billion hectares of degraded lands worldwide, with similar commitments encouraged for marine and coastal areas.

Over 750 symposia, talks, posters, workshops, field trips, and training sessions are exploring a diversity of restoration topics across all continents, ecosystems and scales. Participants are presenting and discussing indigenous and local restoration knowledge, field-based restoration innovations, global databases, innovative eco-technologies, community engagement, inspirational approaches, and much more.

The conference also kicks-off a public consultation on three new restoration tools and resources developed in April and May by SER, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Commission on Ecosystem Management (IUCN CEM), and more than 50 global restoration experts. These tools include: 

1) A definition of ‘net gain’ for restorative activities; 

2) A draft framework for prioritizing restorative activities and interventions to help achieve the greatest possible beneficial impact, and eventually net gain, for people and nature; and 

3) The creation of nine common principles as well as  standards of practice applicable across all types of ecosystem restoration activities and at all scales.

“Scientific expertise must work hand-in-hand with local and indigenous communities and alongside practitioners and policy-makers to drive action and change both from the ground up and from the top down,” said Karma Bouazza, Co-Chair of SER2021. “And if we do this, we can begin to rebuild the reciprocity between people and nature that Robin Wall Kimmerer so eloquently articulates.” 

About the Society for Ecological Restoration

The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) advances the science, practice and policy of ecological restoration to sustain biodiversity, improve resilience in a changing climate, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture. An international non-profit organization with over 4,000 members in more than 85 countries, we actively promote participatory, knowledge-based approaches to restoration. Learn more about our work at www.ser.org.

For more information please contact:

Media contact:

Florencia Panizza

Claro Communications Consulting

florencia@claro-comm.com

P: +1 437 992 1204

SER2021 Conference Contact:

Bethanie Walder

Society for Ecological Restoration

bethanie@ser.org

P: +1 406-543-5926

WASHINGTON DC - Friday, June 4, 2021 - The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER), the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM), and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration’s Best Practices Task Force (BPTF) presented three new ecosystem restoration resources during a live, virtual high-level panel as a part of the formal launch events for the United Nations’ (UN) Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. 

The UN’s commitment to ecosystem restoration represents an unparalleled opportunity to advance ecosystem repair and improve human wellbeing.  However, for global initiatives to be successful there is a critical need for a shared vision of the science, practice, and policy of ecosystem restoration.  

“To fulfill the ambitions of the UN Decade, the next ten years must see a massive acceleration in the pace of global restoration activity,” said Jim Hallett, Chair of SER. “That’s why it is so important to have strong principles, sound science, engaged communities, and a common understanding of the wide array of restorative activities that can heal the planet.” 

“There is no longer a question of whether restoration is needed. It’s clear we cannot address the climate emergency without it,” said Christophe Besacier, Forestry Officer at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization “But this is the first time we have had common principles to ensure ecosystem restoration is implemented in a manner that enhances both human and ecological conditions. This collaboration is a really important step forward for ecosystem restoration."

Angela Andrade, Chair of the IUCN’s Commission on Ecosystem Management, added: "The products of the Global Forum provide critical tools for practitioners, policy-makers, and investors to effectively design, implement, and measure success in restoration across all ecosystems and scales. We are very excited about what this means for the UN Decade, to ensure that projects around the world are delivering a net gain for ecosystems, for biodiversity and for local communities”.

In order to advance the scientific underpinning of ecosystem restoration, SER and IUCN engaged 58 restoration experts from 21 countries during the 3rd Biennial Global Forum on Ecological Restoration, in April 2021. 

These experts delivered initial recommendations for public consultation and feedback on: 

1) the definition of ‘net gain’ in restoration and how it can be measured, prioritized, and standardized; 

2) a framework for prioritizing restorative activities and interventions; and 

3) nine common principles and common standards of practice applicable across all types of ecosystem restoration activities. 

For this third objective, to identify principles for the UN Decade, they also partnered with the UN Decade Best Practices Task Force. 

In addition to the principles, the Forum defined ‘net gain’ as: “A measurable, positive net change in ecosystem integrity, native biodiversity, and human wellbeing that results from a combination of sustainable resource use, conservation, and restoration. Net gain should be measurable at any scale, including ecosystem and land/seascape scales and sustained over time.”

The discussion draft with all products will be open for public consultation in June and July and will be finalized at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in September. Held once every four years, the IUCN World Conservation Congress brings together several thousand leaders and decision-makers from government, civil society, indigenous peoples, business, and academia, with the goal of conserving the environment and harnessing the solutions nature offers to global challenges. The event in September will be IUCN’s first hybrid in-person and virtual event.

From June 21-24, 2021, SER will host (virtually) its 9th World Conference on Ecological Restoration, SER2021. With over 1,200 participants from more than 60 countries already registered, it is the world’s premier event for sharing ecological restoration research, policy, and practical innovations and challenges. Conference participants will be invited to discuss and comment on the drafts during dedicated roundtable discussions at the event. To learn more visit: www.ser2021.org. 

- ENDS  - 

About the Society for Ecological Restoration

The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) advances the science, practice and policy of ecological restoration to sustain biodiversity, improve resilience in a changing climate, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture. An international non-profit organization with almost 4,000 members in more than 85 countries, we actively promote participatory, knowledge-based approaches to restoration. Learn more about our work at www.ser.org.

About IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management

IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management is a network of professionals whose mission is to act as a source of advice on the environmental, economic, social and cultural factors that affect natural resources and biological diversity.

About the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Best Practices Task Force (BPTF)

To boost actions for the implementation of the UN Decade, a FAO-led Task Force on Best Practices was established to prepare guiding principles and enhance knowledge dissemination and capacity development efforts over the next ten years. With more than 100 members from 46 leading global organizations, the Task Force is a broad network of experts from all ecosystems and welcomes new members every day.

Media Contact:

Florencia Panizza

Claro Communications Consulting

florencia@claro-comm.com

P: +1 437 992 1204

SER2021 Conference Contact:

Alexis Gibson

Society for Ecological Restoration

alexis@ser.org

P: +1 503 309 5255

June 8, 2020

Contact: Jim Hallett (Chair, SER Board of Directors), chair@ser.org

NEW SOURCE FOR CRITICAL INFORMATION ON RESTORING AN ECONOMICALLY AND SOCIALLY IMPORTANT ECOSYSTEM

WASHINGTON, DC – The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) and the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), in conjunction with Wiley Publishing, today are excited to release the first issue of Restoration Ecology – Arid Lands (RE-AL). This new thematic series will focus on the restoration of drylands, including arid and semi-arid areas, one of the most challenging ecosystems in the restoration arena. Just a week ahead of the UN World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought (June 17, 2020), the first issue of RE-AL addresses the urgent need to better disseminate and apply research breakthroughs, innovative technologies, and best practices to restoration ecology as a discipline and to the issues and challenges in large-scale restoration of arid land ecosystems.

Restoring degraded arid lands is essential to mitigate climate change, reverse desertification, and secure the livelihoods for the 2 billion people who live in these areas. “The world’s arid lands cover 40% of the global land area and they make up a significant yet fragile ecological system that supports a third of the world’s population,” said Dr. Kingsley Dixon, John Curtin Distinguished Professor and Director of the ARC Centre for Mine Site Restoration at Curtin University in Perth, Australia. “This first thematic series of Restoration Ecology is dedicated to ecological restoration of arid lands, providing a critical focus for all practitioners and communities engaged in restoring the natural capital of these economically and socially important ecosystems.”

Meeting the urgent need for restoration in arid lands requires increasing access to information on current science and best practices for practitioners in these ecosystems. The first issue of RE-AL shares diverse and inspiring voices from around the world focused on all aspects of restoration in arid environments. "Although it is too early to know the impact of coronavirus pandemic on biodiversity, it is expected that research and ecological restoration activities will be disrupted, especially in arid regions with limited capacity, and may not resume soon, ” said Dr. Samira A.S. Omar, Director General of KISR. “Concerted efforts are needed to respond to the changed circumstances and transfer knowledge on innovative technologies for restoration of arid land ecosystems in the post COVID19 pandemic period. This dedicated thematic series will enable us to do just that, including, during this crisis, reminding people of the links between functional, resilient ecosystems and human well-being."

These areas pose unique restoration challenges due to limited water availability, an issue that will be exacerbated by climate change. “Rapid population growth and the effects of climate change are projected to increase water stress in these expanding arid and semi-arid regions, which already experience high levels of poverty, food insecurity, transboundary conflict and forced migration” said Dr. Barron Orr, Lead Scientists for the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. He continued, “The new thematic series RE-AL is timely and will be a much-needed contribution to the scientific literature. It will be relevant for policy development and will lead to advances in approaches taken by natural resource manager working on the ground to reverse land degradation in drylands.”

SER plans to use RE-AL to help expand the global community of practice surrounding ecological restoration in arid lands through print, virtual, and in person knowledge sharing. “The establishment of RE-AL is very timely and relevant as it helps connect and support scientists, practitioners, and partners within Africa and across other dryland regions to share knowledge, experience, expertise and lessons learnt and achieve restoration countries commitments under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration,” said Nora Berrahmouni, FAO’s Senior Forestry Officer in Africa.

The first issue includes articles about arid land restoration in Argentina, China, Australia, and the United States. Research focuses on a range of topics including restoration interventions, tree survival, soil amendments, arid grassland bee communities, and soil reconstruction after mining. All articles include practical information to facilitate their applied use to restoration projects, and the full list of articles can be found here.

SER and KISR have entered into a five-year partnership to develop RE-AL, with the expectation of publishing up to two issues per year for the next four years. All articles will go through the same rigorous scientific review process already in place for Restoration Ecology. Those wishing to discuss ideas or submit manuscripts should contact the Editor-in-Chief, Stephen Murphy (stephen.murphy@uwaterloo.ca).

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SER advances the science, practice and policy of ecological restoration to sustain biodiversity, improve resilience in a changing climate, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture. An international non-profit organization with over 3,000 members in more than 70 countries, we actively promote participatory, knowledge-based approaches to restoration. Learn more about our work at www.ser.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Society for Ecological Restoration Recognizes Outstanding Work in Ecological Restoration with 2019 Awards

WASHINGTON (October 24, 2019) – On September 28, 2019, the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) announced winners for eight awards recognizing outstanding contributions to advancing the field of ecological restoration. Awards were presented during the 2019 SER World Conference in Cape Town, South Africa.

The awards recognize the work of individuals or groups who benefit ecological restoration through impacts on the science, practice, or public engagement. Award winners made significant contributions through engagement with SER, development of new methods for restoration, innovative communication strategies, and projects that fully/meaningfully/effectively engaged local indigenous communities. Two outstanding individuals, one from South Africa and one from Kenya, received special awards for restoration excellence in the host region for the conference, recognizing their work that positively impacts the local community and advances the cause of restoration. Additionally, the editors of Restoration Ecology honored authors from the last two years for their publications.

This year’s awards winners are “a group of outstanding people and projects that truly represents the richness and diversity of ecological restoration around the world,” said Ramesh Venkataraman, SER’s Awards Committee Chair.

Award Recipients

Full Circle Award: Mawas Conservation Program, Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation

John Rieger Award: Dr. Tein McDonald, SER Australasia

Theodore M. Sperry Award: Dr. Samira Omar, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research

Communication Award: Ms. Lina Dolores Pohl and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of El Salvador

Regional Award: Dr. Tony Rebelo, South African National Biodiversity Institute

Regional Award: Ms. Lily Tanui, Tree Growers Association of Kenya

Bradshaw Medal (2017): Urban habitat restoration provides a human health benefit through microbiome rewilding: The Microbiome Rewilding Hypothesis. Jacob Mills, Philip Weinstein, Nicholas Gellie, Laura Weyrich, Andrew Lowe, and Martin Breed

Bradshaw Medal (2018): Conceptualizing ecological restoration: a concise and adaptable framework for researchers and practitioners. Lora Perkins and Joshua Leffler

Click here for additional information on 2019 award recipients. 

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About the Society for Ecological Restoration: The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) advances the science, practice and policy of ecological restoration to sustain biodiversity, improve resilience in a changing climate, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture. With nearly 3,000 members in over 70 countries, the flagship peer-reviewed journal Restoration Ecology, and the interactive Restoration Resource Center, SER connects, guides, and supports the global restoration community. For more information, visit www.ser.org.