The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed 2021–2030 as the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (Resolution adopted on 1 March 2019, https://undocs.org/A/RES/73/284). The UN Decade positions the restoration of ecosystems as a major nature-based solution towards meeting a wide range of global development goals and national priorities. The leading organisations supporting the implementation of the Decade are the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and UN Environment Programme.

In this context, the Task Forces on Monitoring and Best Practices were established to set the ground for future efforts on knowledge capitalisation and dissemination and cooperation in a common restoration monitoring framework. The Task Force on Best Practices consists of 37 members from 6 organizations, including CBD, CIFOR, IUCN, UNEP, UNESCO and FAO.  The Task Force is now discussing the set-up of two outputs: (output 2) ecosystem typology and prioritization and (output 3) identification of resource partners and initiatives.

The Monitoring Task Force consists of a partnership and collaboration of 11 key organizations focused on collective action on restoration monitoring. Each of them has an equal opportunity and responsibility to engage in the discussions.

Objectives of this Task Force are: (1) To develop and propose a monitoring & reporting framework, indicators, methodologies with a focus on biophysical elements, (2) to identify relevant initiatives and interlink with existing and emerging frameworks and (3) to develop sub Task Forces on the monitoring of key ecosystems.

Recently several online meetings have been organised to launch and discuss these UN Decade Task Forces, these were the:

• launch of the Task Forces on Monitoring and Best Practices, March 31, 2020
• first meeting of the Task Force on Monitoring meeting, April 17, 2020
• first meeting of the Task Force on Best Practices, April 24, 2020
• Aquatic and Transitional Sub Task Force meeting, session 1 focused on wetland and freshwater ecosystems, May 18, 2020
• Aquatic and Transitional Sub Task Force meeting, session 2 focused on marine and other aquatic ecosystems, May 22, 2020
• Terrestrial Sub Task Force meeting, May 22, 2020

The next Task Forces meetings have been planned for 3 June (Task Force on Best Practices).

Eurosite is participating in these Task Force meetings and has experienced an enthusiastic and motivated group of people, set on moving forward. The ambitions of these groups are very high, just like the rest of the UN Restoration Decade initiative, which we strongly support in all our activities. The voice of European natural site managers, now represented by us, can play a vital role in this very promising process.