Breathing a new life into ecosystem restoration
2020 is a year of ‘countless commitments’ marking the triple onset of ‘the beginning of Last Decade of Action for realization of SDGs (2020-30), Super year of Nature and Biodiversity along with the outbreak of COVID-19’. The pandemic has set unparalleled consequences in our everyday life with the needles switching our SDGs thinking accustomed towards an undefined ‘new normal’. On the other hand, it has drawn a significant importance of sustainable use of nature and preserve the sanctity of planetary health that include both ecosystem and human health. Don’t you think we are facing lacunae in addressing the triple frontiers today? We do not find any particular assigned SDG to tackle the pandemic nor possess the requisite tools and mechanisms to find amicable solutions for the above narratives. In the view of this, a golden opportunity lies to unveil the 6th ‘P’ (Pandemic) of SDGs in addition to 5 Ps-People-Planet-Prosperity-Peace-Partnership.
SDGs have focused on ‘Putting People First’ approach to realize the imperatives of ‘No Poverty’ to ‘No One Left Behind’. Sustainable Development Goals were adopted in September 2015 by the General Assembly of the United Nations and are probably the only global agenda that the 193 Member States of the UN agreed to and put at the centre stage of this global platform. In our fight against the pandemic, there is a dire need to combat the challenges and find ways to galvanize the opportunity that the year 2020 has given the human kind. During a webinar organized by UNEP on the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) on 27 May 2020, organizations gave a clarion call towards conserving natural resources and preserving ecological integrity, restoration of degraded areas with impetus on coastal and marine ecosystem, capacity building of local communities, innovative approaches like rewilding, building partnerships, etc. In this backdrop, I strongly assert that CSOs, development partners & agencies and organizations involved in ecosystem services must join hands under a common platform to help realise strategies under ‘Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-30)’. I am affirmative that through ‘cooperation-collaboration-convergence’, we can together build back better.
Our fight against the pandemic must not derail; rather strengthen our collective might to fasten the pace of triad objectives. If we could define the ‘Pandemics’ and assign the 18th SDG in the near future, it would be a monumental achievement for humankind and help us building back better in the post COVID world.