FAO Launches AIM4NatuRe: A £7 Million UK-Backed Initiative to Enhance Global Ecosystem Restoration Monitoring

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched the Accelerating Innovative Monitoring for Nature Restoration (AIM4NatuRe) program—an innovative new initiative backed by £7 million from the United Kingdom. The program aims to improve the monitoring and reporting of global ecosystem restoration efforts.

A Dynamic New Contribution

“AIM4NatuRe will bring a dynamic new contribution to global restoration efforts,” stated FAO Director-General QU Dongyu.

“By providing countries with expertise, technical solutions, and the resources they need to accurately track their progress, we can ensure our collective efforts translate commitments into real, lasting impacts for people and the planet during this UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration—and beyond.”

UK Minister for Climate, Kerry McCarthy, also emphasized the program's relevance:

“AIM4NatuRe is an innovative initiative that leverages technology and data to enhance nature restoration, building on the high-performing AIM4Forests program. The UK is proud to play a leading role in forest protection and restoration while empowering communities that depend on them. We are honored to partner with FAO in supporting countries around the globe.”

Expanding Global Monitoring Capacity

AIM4NatuRe complements FAO’s existing AIM4Forests program and will help create a global dataset to track restoration progress. Countries will receive support to build capacity and apply the latest technologies to monitor and report their progress toward Target 2 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), which calls for restoring at least 30% of degraded ecosystems by 2030.

The initiative adopts a comprehensive approach to ecosystem restoration, including reforestation, rehabilitation of degraded agricultural land, wetland restoration, and recovery of grasslands and marine ecosystems.

Restoration: A Natural Solution to Global Challenges

Ecosystem restoration is a powerful nature-based solution to biodiversity loss, climate change, and land degradation. Globally, approximately 1 billion hectares of land have been earmarked for restoration, with the potential to deliver one-third of the climate mitigation needed to limit warming to below 2°C by 2030, while also improving food security and livelihoods.

However, many countries lack the technical solutions and capacity to effectively monitor and report on their ecosystem restoration progress. A recent capacity needs assessment by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) found that 80% of responding countries were unable to collect data to report on national restoration progress.

Cutting-Edge Technology and Practical Tools

At the resumed session of the CBD COP16 meeting in Rome, parties acknowledged the urgent need for greater support in implementing Target 2 and invited FAO to take the lead.

AIM4NatuRe addresses this challenge by giving countries access to cutting-edge technology and capacity building, aiming to produce a unified global dataset for restoration areas. This will enable nations to move beyond broad commitments and generate verifiable data on the effectiveness of their restoration efforts—encouraging transparency and accountability.

The initiative also prioritizes data interoperability, establishing standardized formats and protocols to facilitate the aggregation of national data into a cohesive global reporting framework. This will enhance comparability and transparency, while easing the reporting burden on countries.

AIM4NatuRe will further develop practical guidance documents and technical solutions, such as the Framework for Ecosystem Restoration Monitoring (FERM), to assist countries in data collection, analysis, and reporting—ensuring information is readily accessible and usable.

Inclusive and Holistic Monitoring

In a notable innovation, AIM4NatuRe will support Indigenous Peoples in monitoring nature restoration through biocentric approaches—holistic models that prioritize the well-being of all living beings within an ecosystem. A pilot project involving FAO’s Indigenous Peoples Unit will take place in Brazil and Peru.

During today’s virtual launch event in Rome, FAO also released a new publication: “Enabling Consistent Reporting and Monitoring for Freshwater Restoration under Target 2”, designed to support countries in achieving GBF’s Target 2.

AIM4NatuRe builds on the success of AIM4Forests, which has already deployed advanced forest monitoring technologies and trained professionals in 14 countries. It expands these efforts across all ecosystems, offering a holistic approach to restoration monitoring.

Its capacity-building initiatives include the e-learning program Forest Monitoring for Climate Action, which has already engaged 15,748 online learners worldwide.