Three new World Restoration Flagships awarded by the UNEP in Australia, Canada and South Africa

Three new restoration flagships in Australia, Canada, and South Africa, "anchored in Indigenous peoples and local knowledge", have been recognized by the United Nations on 04/12/2025, ahead of the 7^th session of the UN Environment Assembly.

This initiative, "jointly led by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), support agrifood systems, biodiversity and climate goals", UNEP said.

The awards announced under the UN Decade on Ecosystems Restoration (2021-2030) go to:

• The Australian "shellfish reef building programme", which aims to "rebuild these vital coastal ecosystems at 13 locations around the southern coastline, in partnership with local communities. The Nature Conservancy continues this partnership-based work to restore native shellfish reefs across 30 percent of their original locations around Australia’s expansive coast by 2030".

• The "Respectful returns" initiative to restore resilience to salmon ecosystems in Canada : "since 2010, Parks Canada has collaborated with Indigenous Peoples and local communities, restoring damaged…