Rome: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched a transformative initiative, Accelerating Innovative Monitoring for Nature Restoration (AIM4NatuRe), on Earth Day today, backed by GBP 7 million (~USD 9 million) from the United Kingdom.
Unveiled at a virtual event in Rome, this four-year programme (2025-2028) aims to strengthen countries’ ability to monitor and report progress on ecosystem restoration, supporting Target 2 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), which seeks to restore at least 30 per cent of degraded ecosystems by 2030.
FAO said this cutting-edge technology and data will bring transparency and accountability to global restoration commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. By deploying cutting-edge technology, standardised data frameworks, and capacity development, AIM4NatuRe will foster transparency and accountability in global restoration efforts across forests, wetlands, grasslands, marine ecosystems, and agricultural landscapes.
FAO Director-General QU Dongyu underscored the initiative’s significance. “AIM4NatuRe will provide a new dynamic input for global restoration efforts,” he said. “By providing countries with technical expertise and solutions, and ensuring they have the resources they need to monitor their progress accurately, we can ensure that our collective efforts translate restoration commitments into real and lasting impacts for people and the planet during this UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and beyond.” United Kingdom Minister for Climate Kerry McCarthy highlighted the program’s innovative approach. “AIM4NatuRe is an innovative initiative that will leverage technology and data to enhance nature restoration, building on the success of the high-performing AIM4Forests programme,” she said. “The UK has a leading role in protecting and restoring forests while empowering the communities that depend on them, and we’re proud to work with partners like FAO to support countries across the globe.”
The initiative builds on FAO’s AIM4Forests program, expanding its focus to encompass a broad range of ecosystems. It addresses a critical challenge noted in a Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) survey, where 80 per cent of countries reported difficulties collecting data to track restoration progress. AIM4NatuRe will develop a global dataset on nature restoration, accessible through FAO’s Framework for Ecosystem Restoration Monitoring (FERM) platform and linked to the CBD’s Online Reporting Tool. Four pilot countries will host roundtables to contribute to this dataset, promoting collaboration and data sharing.
A key component of AIM4NatuRe is the GBF Target 2 Partnership, which will engage experts, partners, and countries to develop guidance, methods, and datasets for monitoring and reporting restoration progress. The initiative will also produce guidance documents and technical solutions, using platforms like FERM and Open Foris to enhance data collection and analysis for key ecosystems. These efforts will contribute to high-profile reports, including the Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) 2025, the Restoration Gap Report, the State of the World’s Forests (SOFO) 2026, and a UN General Assembly report, amplifying global visibility of restoration efforts.
AIM4NatuRe prioritises inclusivity by supporting Indigenous Peoples in monitoring biocentric nature restoration, which emphasises the well-being of all living things within an ecosystem. A pilot project in Brazil and Peru, led by FAO’s Indigenous Peoples Unit, will develop a methodological manual and a global knowledge product on successful cases. Regional and subregional workshops will further engage countries and experts, introducing guidance and technical solutions to streamline GBF Target 2 reporting.
The initiative emphasises data interoperability through standardised formats and protocols, enabling harmonised national data to feed into a global reporting framework. This approach reduces reporting burdens and enhances comparability, building on AIM4Forests’ achievements, which trained individuals in 14 countries and engaged 15,748 web learners through its Forest Monitoring for Climate Action e-learning curriculum. During the Rome event, FAO also launched a publication, Enabling consistent reporting and monitoring for freshwater (inland waters) restoration under Target 2, to support countries in meeting GBF objectives.
Ecosystem restoration is vital for addressing biodiversity loss, climate change, and land degradation, with 1 billion hectares of land globally committed to restoration. These efforts could contribute one-third of the climate mitigation needed to limit warming to below 2°C by 2030 while supporting food security and livelihoods. AIM4NatuRe aligns with the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, restoration-related Sustainable Development Goals, and other global frameworks, empowering countries with tools and capacity to track progress effectively. By fostering verifiable data and measurable outcomes, AIM4NatuRe marks a significant step toward sustainable ecosystem recovery worldwide.
– global bihari bureau
