Overview:

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss:

Terrestrial ecosystems provide a series of goods, raw materials for construction and energy, food and a series of ecosystem services including the capture of carbon, maintenance of soil quality, provision of habitat for biodiversity, maintenance of water quality, as well as regulation of water flow and erosion control, therefore contributing to reduce the risks of natural disasters such as floods and landslides, regulate climate and maintain the productivity of agricultural systems. Maintaining those ecosystems greatly support climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts.

Preserving diverse forms of life on land requires targeted efforts to protect, restore and promote the conservation and sustainable use of terrestrial and other ecosystems. Goal 15 focuses specifically on managing forests sustainably, halting and reversing land and natural habitat degradation, successfully combating desertification and stopping biodiversity loss. All these efforts combined aim to ensure that the benefits of land-based ecosystems, including sustainable livelihoods, will be enjoyed for generations to come.

Learn more about SDG 15

Indicators:

• 15.1.2 Proportion of important sites for terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity that are covered by protected areas, by ecosystem type (Tier I)
• 15.4.1 Coverage by protected areas of important sites for mountain biodiversity (Tier I)
• 15.9.1(a) Number of countries that have established national targets in accordance with or similar to Aichi Biodiversity Target 2 of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 in their national biodiversity strategy and action plans and the progress reported towards these targets; and (b) integration of biodiversity into national accounting and reporting systems, defined as implementation of the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (Tier II)

Partners: 

• World Conservation Monitoring Centre(UNEP-WCMC),
• International Union for Conservation of Nature(IUCN)
• BirdLife
• Convention on Biological Diversity
• UNSD

To learn more about UN Environment Programme's contributions to SDG 15:

• SDG Issue Brief on Promoting the Sustainability of Terrestrial Ecosystems and Halting Desertification, Land Degradation and Biodiversity Loss
• SDG Policy Brief on Global Biodiversity Loss