International Principles & Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration

This report presents findings from an assessment of the biodiversity conservation potential of four project sites: Lobaye, Mambéré-Kadéï, Ombella-Mpoko, and Sangha-Mbaéré located in the Bangui region of the Central African Republic (CAR). This assessment was done using the Species Threat Abatement and Recovery (STAR) metric, which employs  high-resolution imagery and an approach to modelling species’ Area of Habitat (AOH) that was revised after June 2020 among other enhancements. This work was undertaken to better inform threat abatement and restoration planning and implementation at the partner project sites, and as part of a wider effort to pilot and strengthen the use of STAR as a  tool for restoration and conservation practitioners, communities, investors, and policymakers.

As a typical coastal city, Xiamen, Fujian Province, China, faces serious societal challenges such as the impact of climate change, overexploitation of natural resources, and loss of biodiversity. Xiamen is implementing Nature-based Solutions (NbS) by strengthening ecological protection, promoting ecosystem restoration, building sponge city, supporting sustainable community development and green transformation of mines, while encouraging funding and diverse public participation. After more than 30 years of exploration and practice, the green development concept of harmonious coexistence between man and nature has been integrated into areas and processes of Xiamen’s economic and social development, making Xiamen’s practice a global example of excellence in NbS and a model for sustainable development of coastal cities.

With 26 case studies from 10 multinational companies, this publication highlights their positive actions, interventions and initiatives contributing to specific conservation and restoration goals. The concrete examples illustrate a pivotal part of their work which have direct impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem on their sites and operations, focused on a variety of additional and proactive biodiversity conservation and restoration actions more commonly within the landscape and seascape. The different case studies seek to present current voluntary practices and initiatives that are above and beyond addressing the negative impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services onsite. While not exhaustive, these case studies seek to be illustrative of current voluntary practices and demonstrative of some of the kinds of initiatives that are currently being carried out.

The IUCN Restoration Barometer is a tool used by governments to monitor and record progress towards restoration goals in various terrestrial ecosystems, coasts, and inland waters. This document presents a synthesis of the results of the Restoration Barometer’s application in three countries: Guatemala (2011-2020), El Salvador (2014-2021), and Costa Rica (2011-2020). The goal is to examine and summarize the results obtained according to each country’s situation and highlight common patterns and trends in terms of policies, planning, monitoring, financing, and restoration impacts.