A thematic exhibition "World Ecosystems: Conservation, Protection, Recovery" dedicated to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030) runs in the Documents of International Organizations Reading Room (207g) from January 12 to February 14.

This Decade was officially proclaimed at the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly on March 1, 2019 (Resolution A/RES/73/284). It seeks to intensify efforts to restore degraded and damaged ecosystems on a large scale as an effective measure to combat climate change and improve food security, water and biodiversity.

The degradation of terrestrial and marine ecosystems undermines the well-being of 3.2 billion people and results in economic losses of 10% of the world's annual gross product. The key ecosystems needed for food production and agriculture are being rapidly destroyed.

Currently, about 20% of the planet's vegetation-covered surface shows a downward trend in fertility associated with erosion, depletion and pollution. By 2050, degradation and climate change could reduce yields by 10% worldwide and up to 50% in some regions.

The proclamation of the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is a global call to combine political support, research and financial opportunities from small pilot initiatives to the restoration of millions of hectares.

Studies show that more than 2 billion hectares of deforested and degraded landscapes in the world have the potential to recover.

Ecosystem restoration refers to the return of landscapes, lakes and oceans to their ecological functions. Intensive recovery will increase resilience, reduce vulnerability and enhance ecosystem ability to adapt to daily threats and extremes.

The decade will help accelerate the implementation of existing global recovery objectives. The planned activities are intended to contribute to the Bonn Challenge to restore degraded and deforested lands. Restoring 350 million hectares of degraded terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems by 2030 could generate a net profit of up to $9 trillion in ecosystem services and remove 13 to 26 gigatons of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Considerable attention in the course of the decade will also be given to the regional efforts, such as Initiative 20x20 in Latin America, which aims to restore 20 million hectares of degraded lands by 2020, and initiative AFR100 on the restoration of forest landscapes in Africa with a goal to restore 100 million hectares of the degraded lands by 2030.

The virtual exhibition presents more than 100 documents from the Library collections in Russian and English. These are books, brochures, booklets. These documents will draw the general public's attention to the degradation of terrestrial and marine ecosystems and loss of biodiversity, help deeper understand the issues of study and use of world ecosystems, and raise awareness of the environmental situation on our planet.

The following thematic sections are on display:

Terrestrial ecosystems: state, development, recovery
Aquatic ecosystems
The state and trends of the development of the natural ecosystems of the Republic of Belarus
Biodiversity as the foundation of life on Earth
The impact of climate change on world ecosystems
Ecology and environment protection

The exhibition will be interesting to students and postgraduates of ecological, biological and geographical disciplines, specialists in the fields of nature management and environmental protection, as well as all those who are interested in world ecosystems restoration and preservation of biological diversity of our planet.

The opening hours of the exhibition correspond to the Library opening hours.

Admission is by a library card or by the Social and Cultural Center ticket.

For more info: (+375 17) 293 27 34.

Official Documents Service Department

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World Ecosystems: Conservation, Protection, Recovery

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