Background
At its twelfth meeting, in October 2014, in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea, the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) adopted Decision XII/19 on ecosystem conservation and restoration. In this decision Parties reaffirmed the need for enhanced support and cooperation to promote ecosystem restoration efforts of developing countries, noting that not enough progress has been made to reduce habitat loss and to promote ecosystem restoration.
Recalling Decision XI/16 on ecosystem restoration and the Hyderabad Call for a Concerted Effort on Ecosystem Restoration, Parties and other Governments, intergovernmental organizations and other relevant organizations were invited to plan, coordinate and implement a set of concerted actions, among other, to develop a coherent framework for ecosystem conservation and restoration.
To this effect, Parties welcomed the Forest Ecosystem Restoration Initiative (FERI) developed by the Korea Forest Service of the Republic of Korea, in cooperation with the Executive Secretary of the CBD. The Initiative as described in UNEP/CBD/COP/12/INF/19 aims to support ecosystem restoration activities the convention in line with Decision XI/16 and other relevant initiatives, to contribute to the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets 5, 14 and 15.
What does FERI do?
FERI directly supports developing country Parties as they operationalize national targets and plans for ecosystem conservation and restoration within the framework of the Strategic Plan and Aichi Biodiversity Targets.
Through a series of regional capacity building workshops, and background information provided, FERI allows countries to identify best practices and exchange experiences including challenges and opportunities to contribute to planned activities related with forest ecosystem conservation and restoration objectives. The Initiative also provides direct financial and technical support to pilot restoration projects in countries parties to the CBD. These pilot projects should serve to test a variety of innovative restoration techniques and compile and disseminate lessons learned that can be used in similar restoration contexts.
As an initiative for technical and scientific cooperation, the FERI publishes knowledge products to inform decision-making on restoration. Its companion guide to the Short Term Action Plan on Ecosystem Restoration offers tools and resources to operationalize restoration action at the national level.