World Environment Day 2024 – #GenerationRestoration 
From where you are, right now, how far would you have to travel to see a green space?  
A few steps to your garden? A few minutes to your local park? A long drive out of the city?  
It’s easy for us to take green spaces for granted, especially if we are fortunate enough to be able to easily access them from our homes. Sadly, our green spaces are quickly disappearing.  

Up to 40% of land globally is degraded.  
(UN, Global Land Outlook) 

This means that soil quality and ability to grow vegetation and crops has reduced or been lost in up to 40% of the land on Earth. Land degradation occurs through human activities and pollution, as well as intense weather conditions.   
Land degradation impacts our ability to grow food and access water and affects the natural habitats of precious plants and animals to the degree that we have seen a 69% average decline in wildlife populations since 1970, due to this loss of habitat, human interventions e.g. pesticides and global warming.  
(WWF, Living Planet Report 2022) 

This World Environment Day is dedicated to restoring damaged ecosystems. Restoring our land will not only support our planet, but also help to end poverty and fight climate change.  

There are many important initiatives going on around the world to help fight land degradation. Regreening Africa is currently regreening over 350,000 hectares across Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, and Somalia. The initiative provides training, drives tree growing and has already increased the income of over 1500 households. (UN, Regreening Africa)