Land degradation awards spotlight programmes to restore 5m hectares by 2030
UN Convention to Combat Desertification chief Yasmine Fouad on Wednesday named three World Restoration Flagships that will restore nearly five million hectares of degraded land by 2030.
Source: United Nations News · August 27, 2026 at 8:03 AM · AI-assisted report
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KUALA LUMPUR, MONGOLIA, ULAANBAATAR, BRAZIL, SAHEL, PAHANG, SARAWAK, 27 AUGUST 2026 —
UN Convention to Combat Desertification chief Yasmine Fouad on Wednesday named three World Restoration Flagships that will restore nearly five million hectares of degraded land by 2030.
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The awards, announced at the UN desertification conference in Mongolia from 17–28 August, recognise programmes in Brazil, Saudi Arabia and the Sahel that together aim to restore land equal to seven million football fields.
“These programmes show that restoration works,” Fouad said. “They demonstrate that investing in nature strengthens resilience, supports livelihoods and delivers tangible benefits for people and communities.”
Land degradation, drought and ecosystem loss now threaten food security, water security and economic stability, Fouad said. She noted the UN’s commitment to restore one billion hectares of degraded land by 2030.
Brazil’s Restoring Brazil’s Cerrado Savannah initiative brings together more than 180 partners to restore two million hectares across nine states by 2030. The programme has already placed 27,000 hectares under restoration using seeds from 150 native species. The Cerrado, the world’s most biodiverse tropical savannah, has lost more than half its native vegetation to land conversion and climate change.
Saudi Arabia’s National Greening Programme targets 40 million hectares of restoration by 2100 and the planting of 10 billion trees. By 2030 it aims to restore 2.5 million hectares and plant 215 million trees, creating up to 187,000 jobs and improving urban air quality. The programme has already restored one million hectares and planted 159 million trees.
Across the Sahel, conflict, degradation and drought have pushed ecosystems to the brink. Since 2018 the Sahel Integrated Resilience Initiative, led by the World Food Programme, has rehabilitated 335,000 hectares, strengthening food security for more than four million people. Monitoring shows 75 per cent of programme sites have improved soil and vegetation, and the number of households needing humanitarian aid in these areas fell by about 11 per cent during the lean season.
By 2030 the initiative plans to restore 470,000 hectares, boost biodiversity and sequester up to 20 million tonnes of CO₂.
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