Hi all, Edward Norton is one of my favorite actors, so I was excited to see that he is a narrator for a documentary film series that features projects from around the globe that are United Nations (UN) World Restoration Flagships. That is, they are shining examples of how humans are successfully restoring nature, thereby achieving the goals set out in the new Global Biodiversity Framework. There are ten mini documentaries in total, each ranging from six to ten minutes in length, and each featuring a unique, ground-breaking restoration project that is being promoted by the UN. Together, the ten projects aim to restore over 68 million hectares of land and create around 15 million jobs. Here are a few project examples: - Great Green Wall for Restoration & Peace. The Great Green Wall is an ambitious plan to restore savannas, grasslands, and farmlands across 11 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Launched by the African Union in 2007, the initiative aims to help families and restore biodiversity while at the same time keeping desertification at bay. This project aims to restore 100 million hectares, sequester 250 million tons of carbon, and create 10 million jobs. - Ganges River Rejuvenation. The Ganges River in India is a spiritual epicenter to the 520 million people living in its vast basin. Unfortunately, climate change, population growth, industrialization and irrigation have significantly degraded it. This project involves a major push to rebuild forest cover, promote sustainable farming, and revive key wildlife species such as river dolphins, softshell turtles, otters, and the hilsa shad fish. So far, the government has invested $4.25 billion and 230 organizations have restored 1,500km of river. - Multi-Country Mountain Initiative. This initiative—based in Serbia, Kyrgyzstan, Uganda, and Rwanda aims to counter the negative impacts of melting glaciers and eroding soils by restoring mountain ecosystems. Thanks to efforts at habitat protection, the endangered mountain gorilla has doubled in numbers in the last 30 years, and in Kyrgyzstan, snow leopards are slowly returning. To watch these documentaries, click here. To read descriptions of the projects, click here.
