Bonn Challenge

By : Neha Dhyani

Updated : Mar 29, 2022, 12:57

The Bonn Challenge is a global goal to restore 150 million hectares of deforested and degraded landscapes by 2020 and 350 million hectares by 2030.

  • The International Union launched the Challenge for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Government of Germany.
  • To date, 74 governments, companies, and private associations have pledged over 210 million hectares to the Challenge.
  • The Bonn Challenge is an implementation vehicle for national priorities such as water, food security, and rural development. At the same time, helping countries contribute to the achievement of international climate change, land degradation, and biodiversity commitments.
  • The restoration of 150 million hectares of degraded and deforested lands in the ecosystem around the world in line with the Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) approach will create approximately US$ 84 billion per year in net benefits that could benefit rural communities by bringing direct additional income opportunities.
  • Achieving the 350 million hectare goal will create net benefits of US$ 170 billion per year from watershed protection, forest products, and improved crop yields. It could reduce up to 1.7 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent annually.
  • Members of the Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration (GPFLR) are not only building global political support for restoration but also providing technical and policy support to the definition and implementation of Bonn Challenge commitments in countries around the world.
  • This includes IUCN through its Forest Landscape Restoration Regional Hubs in Kigali, San Jose, Yaoundé, Bangkok, Quito, Suva, and Washington DC.
  • A growing suite of “homegrown” high-level processes is developing in support of the Bonn Challenge, driven by the political will of countries and regional institutions.

Why Is the Bonn Challenge Important?

  • We have taken too much from landscapes through intensive farming, overgrazing, and deforestation. On average, we lose 13 million hectares of forests and 24 billion tonnes of fertile soil every year. Land degradation also adds to climate change. It threatens diverse landscapes with an irreversible effect.
  • There is a way to restore deforested and degraded landscapes without severing people's relationship with landscapes and the wildlife that live in them.
  • The Bonn challenge unites nations and regions in bringing landscapes into restoration to stop and reverse the effects of land degradation. It empowers people and nations to nurture the land's health and conserve it for future generations to come.
Important Exams
UPSC ExamIBPS PO Exam
SSC ExamDefence Exam
SSC CHSL ExamSSC Steno Exam
RRB JE ExamSSC CHSL Exam
RRB NTPC ExamIBPS Clerk Exam
IBPS SO ExamUPPSC Exam

Bonn Challenge 2020 Report

(Submitted on Report, September 1, 2020)

The report shows how six countries have prioritized the restoration of forest landscapes to boost ecological and human health. Stories spoken through communities, governments, and NGOs show the substantial impact created through the Bonn Challenge, calling for increased commitments and action to achieve the 2030 target of 350 million hectares under restoration.

The Bonn Challenge in India

India is the first Bonn Challenge country to develop a progress report. In 2015, the government of India made a Bonn Challenge pledge to bring 13 million hectares of degraded land into restoration by 2020 and an additional 8 million hectares by 2030 at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties (CoP) 2015 in Paris.

As stated in the Bonn Challenge and India: Progress on restoration efforts across states and landscapes report, India has brought an area of 9.8 million hectares under restoration since 2011, meaning that the restoration work of these landscapes is already underway.

Of the 9.8 million hectares, 94.4% was contributed by government agencies, alongside contributions from NGOs and private companies, which were 3.6% and 2%, respectively.

More Current Affairs Topics
Father of BiologyFather of Chemistry
Father of ComputerFather of Cytology
Father of GeographyFather of History
Father of PhysicsFather of Science
FcnrFdi Confidence Index

FAQs on Bonn Challenge

Q.1 By whom the Bonn Challenge was launched?

Ans. The International Union launched the Bonn Challenge for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Government of Germany.

Q.2. What initial restoration target was set under the Bonn challenge?

Ans. The initial target was to restore 150 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2020.

Q.3. When did India make a Bonn challenge pledge?

Ans. In 2015, the government of India made a Bonn Challenge pledge.

Q.4. What was India's Bonn challenge pledge made in 2015?

Ans. India's Bonn Challenge pledge was to bring 13 million hectares of degraded land into restoration by 2020 and 8 million hectares by 2030.