India’s Ganges rejuvenation project was recognised as one among world’s 10 most “ground-breaking” efforts for their role in restoring the natural ecosystems, according to a report released during the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) this week. The Ganges Rejuvenation project was declared as a flagship World Restoration project and remains eligible to claim UN-backed promotion, advice or funding under the banner of United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, a global movement coordinated by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
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Together, a total of ten flagships aim to restore more than 68 million hectares, an area bigger than Myanmar, France or Somalia, and create nearly 15 million jobs, the UN said.
“Transforming our relationship with nature is the key to reversing the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, pollution and waste,” said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen.
“These 10 inaugural World Restoration Flagships show that with political will, science and collaboration across borders, we can achieve the goals of the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration and forge a more sustainable future not only for the planet but also for those of us who call it home,” Andersen said.
Namami Gange initiative: What is Ganges river rejuvenation project all about?
In the Ganges River Rejuvenation project, restoring the health of the Ganges is the focus of a major push to cut pollution, rebuild forest cover, and bring a wide range of benefits to the 520 million people living around its vast basin.
Climate change, population growth, industrialisation, and irrigation have degraded the Ganges along its 2,525-kilometre course from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal.
“Launched in 2014, the government-led Namami Gange initiative focuses on rejuvenating, protecting and conserving the Ganges and its tributaries, reforesting parts of the Ganges basin and promoting sustainable farming,” a UN statement said.
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The project also aims to revive key wildlife species, including river dolphins, softshell turtles, otters, and the Hilsa shad fish.
The initiative, with an investment of up to $4.25 billion so far, has the involvement of 230 organisations, with 1,500 km of river restored to date.
Additionally, there have been 30,000 hectares of afforestation so far, with a 2030 goal of 134,000 hectares, according to the UN.
Other World Restoration Flagships
The other inaugural World Restoration Flagships include the Trinational Atlantic Forest Pact, which aims to protect and restore the forest in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, and the Abu Dhabi Marine Restoration project which is safeguarding the world’s second-largest dugong population in Abu Dhabi.
The Great Green Wall for Restoration and Peace initiative to restore savannas, grasslands and farmlands across Africa, the Multi-Country Mountain Initiative based in Serbia, Kyrgyzstan, Uganda and Rwanda, and the Small Island Developing States Restoration Drive focused on three small island developing states – Vanuatu, St Lucia and Comoros were also recognised.
The Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative in Kazakhstan to restore the steppe, semi-desert and desert ecosystems, the Central American Dry Corridor, and Shan-Shui Initiative in China were the other projects on the list.
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During the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) being held from December 7 to 19, about 20,000 delegates from across the world will negotiate an eight-year plan to preserve and restore biodiversity.
They will do so through the Convention on Biological Diversity, a treaty adopted for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and related issues.
COP15 aims to achieve a historic agreement to halt and reverse nature loss, on par with the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.
(With inputs from agencies)
NOTE – This article was originally published in wionews and can be viewed here
Tags: #climate, #climatechange, #climatecrisis, #environment, #Ganges, #getgreengetgrowing, #gngagritech, #greenstories, #NamamiGange, #nature, #Pollution, #waste
