The United Nations has recognized ten organizations or countries as innovative flagships for the protection of biodiversity

The United Nations has recognized ten organizations or countries as innovative flagships for biodiversity protection. The organization claims these ten recognitions will help restore the damaged climate or environment.

Organizations or governments in countries from Central America to East Asia have been honored as flagships. As a result, accredited organizations or governments can receive UN-supported advocacy, advice, and funding.

They have been recognized for their role in restoring the natural world at the United Nations Conference on Biodiversity held in Montreal, Canada, in 2022.

Actors Jason Momoa, Edward Norton, Jane Goodall, mountaineer Nirmal Pur, singer Ellie Goulding, UK band Bastille, and Chinese celebrity Lily Li virtually attended the flagship award ceremony.

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have organized the event. Flagship recipients have been nominated for the award only after a decade of service. Indian National Geographic Explorer and Wildlife Filmmaker Malaika Vaz  hosted the event.

Earlier, the United Nations announced that ten organizations or individuals would be given flagship awards or recognition for protecting biodiversity and the environment. These individuals, organizations, or governments will be considered eligible for UN-supported campaigns, advice, and funding.

Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP, said, “Climate change is changing our relationship with nature. These ten awards show that the world’s climate and environmental restoration can change with political will, science, and cooperation. We can achieve the UN’s ecosystem restoration goals and build a sustainable future.”

Ku Donggu, Director General of FAO, said, “The UN is taking the lead on ecosystem restoration together with FAO and UNEP. We are delighted to award ten ambitious, visionary, and promising ecosystem restoration initiatives as 2022 World Restoration Flagships. Inspired by these flagships, we can learn to restore our ecosystems further.”

The innovative flagships awarded are:

1. 1. Tri lateral Atlantic Forest Agreement: The Atlantic Forest once covered parts of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. However, centuries of agricultural expansion and urban construction fragmented it. Hundreds of organizations are active in decades-long efforts to protect and restore forests in all three countries. Their initiatives are creating wildlife corridors for endangered species such as jaguars and golden lion tamarins, securing water supplies for people and nature, and building resilience and resilience against climate change. It has created thousands of jobs.
   2. Abu Dhabi marine recovery: Seagrass-vegetarian dugongs are the preferred food in the UAE. Restoring coral reefs and mangroves along the Gulf Coast has saved the dugong from extinction. The project in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi will improve the conditions of four species of turtles, three types of dolphins, and many other plants and animals. Local communities have created more opportunities for eco-tourism and the recovery of over five hundred fish species—about 7,500 ha. Coastal areas have already been restored, and another 4,500 ha will be restored by 2030
   3. Great Green Wall: The Great Green Wall is an innovative initiative to restore savannas, grasslands, and farmland across Africa. This makes families and biodiversity more vulnerable to climate change and further threatens already vulnerable communities. Moreover, helping to protect the desert. Launched by the African Union in 2007, the flagship initiative aims to transform the lives of millions of people in the Sahel region by creating a belt of green and productive landscapes in 11 countries.
   4. Rejuvenation of River Ganges: River Ganges is known as India’s holy river. It is threatened by flow, pollution, and forest cover. As a result, the livelihood of 520 million people around this vast basin is at serious risk. Due to climate change, population growth, industrialization, and irrigation, the condition of the 2,525 km stretch of the Ganga from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal are more fragile than before. However, in 2014, the government of India started its restoration. It rejuvenates the Ganga and its tributaries, protecting and conserving the river and restoring parts of the Ganges basin, and making it suitable for sustainable agriculture. It also aims to restore riverine species, including dolphins, softshell turtles, otters, and Hilsa fish. The government of India’s investment here is 4.25 billion USD so far. Two hundred and thirty organizations have participated in this project, which has restored 1,500 km of the river. In addition, 30 thousand hectares have been afforested so far.
   5. Multi-Country Mountain Initiative: Mountainous regions face many challenges due to climate change. Climate change is causing glaciers to melt, soils to erode, and species to often become extinct. Serbia, Kyrgyzstan, Uganda, and Rwanda were awarded the Flagship Award for their efforts to protect it.
   6. Small Island State Recovery Drive: Three Small Island Developing States – Vanuatu, Saint Lucia, and Comoros have been rewarded for their efforts. Island communities get helped to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. That is why ocean-centric blue is boosting economic growth. Initiatives include reducing stress on coral reefs, making them as risk-free as possible during storms, and restoring fish stocks in the ocean.
   7. Altin Dala Conservation Initiative: Converting vast tracts of Central Asia to arable lands, like many of the world’s grasslands. Even the island has not been saved from it. As a result, the climate is affected. Since 2005, Kazakhstan’s Altyn Dala has been preserved. It saves desert and grassland. At one time, large numbers of deer hunts have displaced. Deer are regaining their habitat as a result of this initiative.
   8. Central American Dry Corridor: Exposed to heat waves and unpredictable rainfall, the ecosystems and peoples of the Central American Dry Corridor are particularly vulnerable to climate change. As of 2019, 1.2 million people in the region have needed food assistance due to food shortages over the past five years. Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama have been awarded the award. For example, they are working on protecting forest biodiversity with coffee, cocoa, and cardamom crops.
   9. Building with nature in Indonesia: The nature of Indonesia’s main island of Java has been severely damaged. There are affected low-lying coastal communities. The land eroded as ponds have been dug for fish farming, and mangroves have been destroyed as the human habitat has grown. Now, natural mangrove restoration is going on there. Farmers are taught sustainable techniques to promote biodiversity. This has increased their shrimp production. Catches have also seen improvement.
   10. Shan-Shui Initiative in China:This initiative has undertaken 75 major projects to restore ecosystems from mountains to coastal estuaries across the world’s most populous country. It launched in 2016. Examples include the Ojiang River Headwater Project in Zhejiang Province, which integrates scientific knowledge with traditional agricultural practices to make land use more sustainable, such as slope roofing and intercropping with fish and poultry farming.