FAO Reports Global Forest Restoration Potential
A new report identifies critical land restoration needs while highlighting the significant economic costs of inaction.
Updated on Oct. 21, 2026 in Environmental
Live Poll
Do you believe large-scale land restoration is an effective way to improve your community's food security?
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has released a major report assessing the state of the world's forests and the urgency of ecosystem restoration. It warns that widespread degradation threatens global resources while underscoring the massive economic benefits of potential restoration projects.
Why it matters
Restoring degraded landscapes is essential to addressing the impacts of population growth and land-use change, which drive resource scarcity. Experts emphasize that the cost of inaction reaches trillions annually, while active restoration offers a pathway to economic and environmental stability.
The report analyzes 1.56 billion hectares of degraded global land, noting that 489 million hectares of forest were lost between 1990 and 2025. Restoration of 1 billion hectares of this land could yield $1.8 trillion in annual benefits.
The players
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
This is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security.
The details
The report suggests that restorative success relies on strengthening individual land rights, adopting landscape-scale management, and improving legal policies. Currently, 91 countries have collectively pledged 190 million hectares for restoration to combat ongoing forest degradation.
Timeline
Between 1990 and 2025, 489 million hectares of forest were lost to deforestation.
The Big Picture
This research updates the baseline figures established by the Food and Agriculture Organization's forest restoration report. It shifts the global scientific consensus by quantifying the specific economic trade-offs between failing to restore ecosystems and the benefits of active land recovery.
Large-scale forest restoration can tangibly impact global food security and stabilize the livelihoods of one-third of the world's population. By mitigating land degradation, these initiatives help protect the resources necessary for sustainable agricultural yields and ecosystem services.
The takeaway
Restoring over 1 billion hectares of degraded land provides a critical economic opportunity to generate $1.8 trillion in annual benefits. Prioritizing legal rights and landscape-scale policies is essential for reversing the trend of forest degradation.
Further reading
Learn more about the latest findings in Environmental research.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Famagusta Gazette.
Live Poll
Do you believe large-scale land restoration is an effective way to improve your community's food security?
