Webinar on Engagement and Governance for Ecosystem Restoration

Humans are not only beneficiaries of ecosystem services, but they also are major influencers of ecosystem changes. Despite numerous management approaches being developed to ensure biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, such as landscape restoration, ecosystem governance structure generally remains to be an elusive concept at best. Inspired by the ongoing discussions about what exactly it means in practice and how to forge it into an effective tool for global change, this presentation offers the viewpoints of the IUCN’s Ecosystem Governance Group and the importance to examine how it is implemented in projects to ensure sustainability. For an effective ecosystem governance to occur and in order to serve the global community in the times of global climate and environmental changes, several key aspects such as devolution of power, importance of community participation, and inclusive governance through environmental justice principles should be integrated. Some of the major components to be integrated into decision making, planning and community development work are analyzed using a couple of examples that aim to enhance biodiversity through restoration. These aspects relate to the global agenda pushed forward by the United Nations including the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals and the UN Decade on Restoration.