United Nations Decade Research Articles

UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration: key considerations for Africa

To support and scale up global restoration efforts, the United Nations (UN) has proclaimed 2021–2030 the “UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.” The Decade offers significant opportunities for and challenges to restoration, in particular for Africa, a continent that has a large need and potential for restoration. We thus argue that the Decade must be a success in and for Africa, and for this to happen, opportunities and challenges to achieving its goals must be promptly identified, and considered in the planning and implementation of restoration. Here, we outline six key areas that should be considered at a strategic level by African countries during the Decade. These are: (1) ensuring effective oversight and governance relevant to Africa; (2) translating the goals to meet the African context; (3) making the case for restoration amid multiple development demands; (4) growing an African restoration community of practice based on regional need; (5) collaborating to improve restoration outcomes; and (6) establishing an Africa‐relevant evidence base for restoration. We believe that these six key areas—even though they are not all novel—are currently not addressed at a level that matches the scale of the problem on the continent. Although the specific actions to be taken under each key area are dependent on the restoration context, integrating these key areas in the planning and implementation of restoration efforts will likely lead to improved restoration outcomes during the Decade.

Blue Carbon Ecosystems in Brazil: Overview and an Urgent Call for Conservation and Restoration

In this article, we discuss knowledge and gaps regarding blue carbon ecosystems (BCEs) in Brazil, considering the urgency to apply protection actions and policies to safeguard their biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. We also indicate areas of further research to improve carbon stocks and sequestration rate estimates. We call attention to the shortage of studies on Brazilian BCEs relative to the growing knowledge on the Blue Carbon Framework accumulated worldwide over the last decade. Considering the extensive Brazilian Economic Exclusive Zone (known as “Blue Amazon”), knowledge concerning blue carbon stocks is vital at regional and global scales for mitigating global increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). The Blue Amazon has at least 1,100,000 ha of vegetated and non-vegetated coastal ecosystems (mangroves, salt marshes, seagrass meadows, and hypersaline tidal flats) that collectively contain vast amounts of stored carbon, making Brazil an ideal place to test mechanisms for evaluating, conserving, and restoring BCEs. Other poorly understood potential sinks and sources of carbon are macroalgal and rhodolith beds, mudflats, continental shelf sediments, and marine animal forests in shallow, mesophotic, and deep waters. The carbon fluxes between diverse environmental compartments, such as soil–air, soil–water, groundwater–water–surface water, air–water, and land–ocean, in BCEs across the Blue Amazon must be studied. We emphasize the importance of assessing the total carbon stock and the recent dismantling of environmental laws that pose great risks to these important BCEs. The conservation and recovery of these areas would enhance the carbon sequestration capacity of the entire country. Furthermore, we highlight priorities to improve knowledge concerning BCEs and their biogeochemical cycles in the Blue Amazon and to provide information to assist in the reduction of atmospheric levels of CO2 for the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science (2021–2030).

Capacity development in the Ocean Decade and beyond: Key questions about meanings, motivations, pathways, and measurements

Capacity development is a major priority in the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (the Decade). Persistent disparities in ocean science capacity illustrate the substantial challenges to achieving the Decade's stated goal of eradicating inequality. We argue that a new conversation about capacity development is essential for the success of the Decade and beyond. We question the meaning, motivations, pathways and measurement of capacity development at this critical juncture. While we do not propose a single answer to these context- and situation-specific questions, we do recognize that the lack of accepted, or even defined, approaches to capacity development, its initiation, leadership, desired outcomes, implementation, and evaluation is failing the global ocean community. Explicit focus and reflection on the power of discourses, definitions, positionality, and perspectives has the potential to greatly improve the experience and outcomes of capacity development programs. This Perspective seeks to stimulate reflection and action to seize the substantial opportunity presented by the Decade to facilitate capacity development solutions toward a more equitable world.

Contribution of marine zooplankton time series to the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development

Abstract Zooplankton play a central role in marine trophic webs, influencing both biogeochemistry and productivity of the oceans. Changes in their communities are important indicators of overall ecosystem health and global change impacts. With increasing exploitation and pressures on the marine environment, there is a growing need for high-resolution monitoring of marine zooplankton to provide detailed information about seasonal to decadal changes at local, regional, and global scales. This crucial knowledge is gathered mainly through long-term time series, which are key to characterizing and forecasting changes in marine zooplankton assemblages. In this Introduction, and through the articles included in this Themed Article Set, we bring together new insights, issuing from data time series, into zooplankton population dynamics. We also take up the application of such time series to the understanding of global change impacts on marine ecosystems and in providing advice on sustainable management of marine ecosystem resources and services. We highlight the importance of maintaining and supporting long-term marine zooplankton time series as key contributors to the development and advancement of the United Nations’ Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development Goal 13-Climate action and Goal 14-Life below water.

The hydrological impacts of restoration: A modelling study of alien tree clearing in four mountain catchments in South Africa

Ecological restoration efforts at scale have been shown to play an important role in reducing human impact on the environment, improving climate change adaptation and halting extinctions globally. Upscaling restoration efforts requires funding, and therefore evidence of the benefits of restoration is needed. This study aims to contribute towards addressing these gaps by: (1) bolstering the evidence base of the water-related impacts of investment into ecological restoration by improving the methods of predicting the streamflow impacts of alien tree clearing; and (2) exploring the potential size of the variability in catchment responses at a fine-scale (60x60m) in one particular region by comparing four different neighbouring catchments. We model the impacts on streamflow in four strategic water providing catchments using the fully-distributed MIKE-SHE modelling tool. We find that the benefits of clearing mature infestations of alien trees, such as pines, from naturally tree-less ecosystems can increase available surface water resources by 15.1 to 29.5%. Clearing riparian invasions is predicted to have a 1.7 times greater impact compared to terrestrial (non-riparian) invasions. The largest modelled impact of restoration on streamflow is on the mid to low flows, and this impact is greater in dry years relative to wet years. The findings are novel in that they shed light on the types of spatial uncertainties that can be expected in modelled gains, with implications for generalisation. These findings are important for leveraging investment to upscale restoration efforts in water scarce regions, as they suggest improved water security during the dry season and droughts. Upscaling efforts is essential if the degradation of ecosystems globally is to be prevented, halted and reversed, as proposed by the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

Women's Rights and Global Socialism: Gendering Socialist Internationalism during the Cold War

AbstractThis Special Issue explores the complicated relationship between women's rights and global socialism during the Cold War. This Introduction describes how the articles deal with this relationship in three, partly overlapping, periods. The first set of articles looks at how the ethos of the Popular Front resonated among women's movements in Asia, Latin America, and Europe, and examines the connections between interwar anti-fascist and anti-imperialist feminisms and those that re-emerged after World War II. The second set of articles focuses on the role and development of the Women's International Democratic Federation (WIDF) and its model of internationalism in Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, and China in the early Cold War. The final articles centre on the challenges faced by the WIDF from the 1960s, exploring issues such as the anti-apartheid struggles in South Africa, the Portuguese wars of decolonization, and the United Nations Decade for Women (1976–1985). Together with this process of decolonization, this Special Issue also examines how the consequences of postsocialism, in particular for women's rights (the loss of social rights, material security, and substantial challenges to reproductive freedoms), have triggered renewed debates about the history and legacies of communist women's liberation movements in the former socialist world.

Hay transfer is a nature-based and sustainable solution for restoring grassland biodiversity

As we enter the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, there is an increasing need for finding nature-based solutions for the restoration of grasslands across the globe. Besides seed sowing, alternative restoration methods that build on locally available propagule sources, such as hay transfer, should also be considered and given high priority. The transfer of hay from a donor site to the restoration site serves a double aim by introducing target species and suppressing weeds. We tested the applicability of hay transfer in restoring species-rich grassland in a former cropland in Hungary, over six years of post-restoration monitoring from 2015 to 2020. We sampled the plant species composition of the three donor sites (target state of restoration) and the area surrounding the restoration site. We found that six year after restoration, a species-rich grassland developed with 42 successfully established specialist species that had a cover of 45%. Most specialist species became established from the hay from the second to the sixth year, but the surrounding areas also provided additional propagule sources. Among the eight analysed functional traits, seed mass of the transferred species was the best predictor of the establishment of specialists, and we found that small-seeded species had an establishment advantage in the first years after restoration. Our results suggest that hay transfer can be a suitable nature-based solution for local grassland restoration projects and its potential should be utilized especially in regions where suitable donor sites are present in sufficient quantity and quality.

Futuristic restoration as a policy tool for environmental justice objectives

The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration promises to educate society on the many ways ecological restoration projects can benefit humankind. One avenue of possibilities for restoration ecology lies with concerns of environmental justice. The concept of futuristic restoration, which posits a paradigm of ecological restoration that is future‐oriented, aligns well with calls for policymakers to address the circumstances, processes, and systems within which environmental inequalities are typically produced. This article offers three policy arenas where futuristic restoration can be employed in order to further environmental justice goals: (1) Land conservation prioritization; (2) Urban development plans; and (3) Mine remediation projects. The temporal dimension of sustainability and how it pertains to restoration projects will also be addressed.

Motorized 2\u20133 wheelers death rates over a decade: a global study

BackgroundMotorized 2–3-wheelers-related death is high due to the exposed body of the driver/passenger and the high speed. The United Nation (UN) Decade of Action for road safety aimed to reduce road traffic deaths by 50% by the year 2020. We aimed to study the factors affecting the death rates of motorized 2–3 wheelers injured victims and whether the reduction in the death rates has met the UN target.MethodsData were retrieved from the WHO Global Status Reports on Road Safety published over 2009 to 2018 which covered the years of 2007 to 2016. Studied variables included motorized 2–3 wheelers death rates, percentage of helmet-wearing rate, helmet law enforcement, speed law enforcement, gross national income per capita, vehicles/person ratio, and motorized 2–3 wheelers/person ratio. A mixed linear model was used to define factors affecting the change of motorized 2–3 wheelers death rates over time.ResultsThe global mean motorized 2–3 wheelers death rates increased from 2.37/100,000 population to 3.23/100,000 population over the studied decade (a relative ratio of 1.36) which was not statistically significant. Factors that affected mortality included GNI (p = 0.025), motorized 2–3 wheelers per person ratio (p < 0.0001), percentage of helmet wearing rate (p = 0.046), and the interaction between vehicle/person ratio and motorized 2–3 wheelers/person ratio (p = 0.016). There was a significant increase in the death rates over time in the low-income countries (a relative ratio of 2.52, p = 0.019, Friedman test), and middle-income countries (a relative ratio of 1.46, p < 0.0001, Friedman test), compared with a significant decrease in the high-income countries (a relative ratio of 0.72, p < 0.0001, Friedman test).ConclusionsGlobal mortality of motorized 2–3 wheelers has increased by a relative ratio of 1.36 over a recent decade. The UN target of reducing death was not met. The increase was related to the increase in motorized 2–3 wheelers per person ratio and economic inequity which has to be addressed globally. The economic global gap significantly impacts the mortality rates of motorized 2–3 wheelers.

Ocean Integration: The Needs and Challenges of Effective Coordination Within the Ocean Observing System

Understanding and sustainably managing complex environments such as marine ecosystems benefits from an integrated approach to ensure that information about all relevant components and their interactions at multiple and nested spatiotemporal scales are considered. This information is based on a wide range of ocean observations using different systems and approaches. An integrated approach thus requires effective collaboration between areas of expertise in order to improve coordination at each step of the ocean observing value chain, from the design and deployment of multi-platform observations to their analysis and the delivery of products, sometimes through data assimilation in numerical models. Despite significant advances over the last two decades in more cooperation across the ocean observing activities, this integrated approach has not yet been fully realized. The ocean observing system still suffers from organizational silos due to independent and often disconnected initiatives, the strong and sometimes destructive competition across disciplines and among scientists, and the absence of a well-established overall governance framework. Here, we address the need for enhanced organizational integration among all the actors of ocean observing, focusing on the occidental systems. We advocate for a major evolution in the way we collaborate, calling for transformative scientific, cultural, behavioral, and management changes. This is timely because we now have the scientific and technical capabilities as well as urgent societal and political drivers. The ambition of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030) and the various efforts to grow a sustainable ocean economy and effective ocean protection efforts all require a more integrated approach to ocean observing. After analyzing the barriers that currently prevent this full integration within the occidental systems, we suggest nine approaches for breaking down the silos and promoting better coordination and sharing. These recommendations are related to the organizational framework, the ocean science culture, the system of recognition and rewards, the data management system, the ocean governance structure, and the ocean observing drivers and funding. These reflections are intended to provide food for thought for further dialogue between all parties involved and trigger concrete actions to foster a real transformational change in ocean observing.

Science Off the Seashore

In our February issue, Eos reports on the study of the ocean and our relationship to it, in the spirit of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

Ecotoxicological Effects of Aflatoxins on Earthworms under Different Temperature and Moisture Conditions.

Aflatoxin contamination remains one of the most important threats to food safety and human health. Aflatoxins are mainly found in soil, decaying plant material and food storage systems and are particularly abundant during drought stress. Regulations suggest the disposal of aflatoxin-contaminated crops by incorporation into the soil for natural degradation. However, the fate and consequences of aflatoxin in soil and on soil organisms providing essential ecological services remain unclear and could potentially pose a risk to soil health and productivity. The protection of soil biodiversity and ecosystem services are essential for the success of the declared United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. The focus of this study was to investigate the toxicological consequences of aflatoxins to earthworms’ survival, growth, reproduction and genotoxicity under different temperature and moisture conditions. Results indicated an insignificant effect of aflatoxin concentrations between 10 and 100 µg/kg on the survival, growth and reproduction but indicated a concentration-dependent increase in DNA damage at standard testing conditions. However, the interaction of the toxin with different environmental conditions, particularly low moisture, resulted in significantly reduced reproduction rates and increased DNA damage in earthworms.

Multifunctional soil recovery during the restoration of Brazil's Atlantic Forest after bauxite mining

Abstract Ecosystem restoration is a global priority, currently promoted by several ambitious commitments. Most of the research to guide restoration practices was so far put on the recovery of above‐ground functions and services, although soil health is increasingly recognized as a fundamental condition to restoration success. Soil restoration is particularly needed in mining areas, in which the surface soil layers are removed and the left over, highly deprived substrate does not support vegetation recovery. Here, we evaluated the potential of active restoration to recover soil attributes after bauxite mining in the Brazil's Atlantic Forest. We specifically studied how physical, chemical and microbiological soil attributes down to 40 cm depth respond to restoration (i.e. topsoil spreading and tree planting) by comparing newly mined areas, areas undergoing restoration for ~7 years and conserved forests. We further explored the associations between microbiological and physico‐chemical soil attributes. Restoration interventions resulted in a 10‐fold increase in the soil organic matter content compared to mined areas, as well as in the recovery of P content. Restoration was also shown to be associated with the recovery of the activity and diversity of soil bacterial communities, reaching similar levels to those observed in conserved forest. Restored and conserved forests were characterized by a higher proportion of Acidobacteria, Planctomycetes and Verrucomicrobia. All bacterial attributes were correlated with soil physical attributes, except for microporosity, and with organic matter and cation exchange capacity. Within a few years, restoration allowed recovering crucial physical, chemical and microbiological soil attributes, reaching levels comparable to those found in conserved forests. Synthesis and applications. We demonstrate that intensive management can result in the fast restoration of tropical forest soils after mining, at least at small scales. Our results stress the need to consider soil recovery both as a driver and a measure of ecosystem restoration success, and support the development of more holistic monitoring protocols to be used during the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

A research framework for the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030)

The mission of UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2020–2030) is to improve the lives of older people, their families and their communities. In this paper, we create a conceptual framework and research agenda for researchers to knowledge to address the Decade action items. The framework builds on the main components of healthy ageing: Environments (highlighting society and community) across life courses (of work and family) toward wellbeing (of individuals, family members and communities). Knowledge gaps are identified within each area as priority research actions. Within societal environments, interrogating beliefs about ageism and about familism are proposed as a way to illustrate how macro approaches to older people influence their experiences. We need to interrogate the extent to which communities are good places to grow old; and whether they have sufficient resources to be supportive to older residents. Further articulation of trajectories and turning points across the full span of work and of family life courses is proposed to better understand their diversities and the extent to which they lead to adequate financial and social resources in later life. Components of wellbeing are proposed to monitor improvement in the lives of older people, their families and communities. Researcher priorities can be informed by regional and national strategies reflecting Decade actions.

Plastics in blue carbon ecosystems: a call for global cooperation on climate change goals

Plastics in blue carbon ecosystems: a call for global cooperation on climate change goals

UN Ocean Decade of Ocean Sciences and Fundamental Challenges of Russian Oceanography

The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030) was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2017 on the initiative of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO and entered the implementation phase from January 2021. The main watchword of the Decade is “The Science We Need for the Ocean We Want”. It is based on seven socially significant outcomes. To achieve them, ten priority challenges have been identified. These challenges are divided into three groups: Knowledge and Solutions Challenges, Essen- tial Infrastructure Challenges and Foundational Challenges. Although the Decade Implementation Plan considers Ocean Sciences in its broadest sense, including the nature sciences and social sciences and humanities, local and indigenous knowledge, science-policy and science-innovation interactions, and technology and infrastructure etc., basic oceanographic research are of paramount importance for understanding and achieving virtually all seven Decade Outcomes.

Reviewing relational values for future research: insights from the coast

To create the science we need for the ocean we want in this United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and to support the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) value assessment, we systematically reviewed literature from the past 20 years (N = 375) that used conceptualizations of relational values in coastal and marine ecosystems of the Global South. We found four clusters of research highlighting specific characteristics. Cluster one (participatory and qualitative approaches) was defined by a focus on the relational value of cultural heritage and the production of qualitative social science data, often with a participatory approach. Cluster two (Indigenous and local ecological knowledges held by fishers and gatherers) linked to the explicit inclusion of Indigenous and local knowledges in research and to aspects of biodiversity and marine resources. Cluster three (ecological and environmental change) was determined by relational values of social relations and identity of residents and community members through the use of anthropological and ethnographic methods and linked to ecological and environmental change. Cluster four (recreation and quantitative data) was characterized by a variety of relational values, such as recreation and enjoyment, aesthetics and inspiration, or stewardship, and based on quantitative empirical social research methods mainly elicited from coastal users (such as tourists). We highlight (1) the most prevalent relational values; (2) the necessity to bridge dispersed research approaches; and (3) the possible negative impact of globalization, market pressure, and ecological degradation on relational values. Our lessons learnt are the challenge of conflating relational values with structures, institutions, or emotions; the necessity of accounting for dynamic influences on relational values; and finding ways to comparably quantify relational value categories. Our recommendations for future research are: (1) specificity regarding relational values and their object of value; (2) using transdisciplinary and participatory approaches; and (3) strengthening pro-environmental relational values for sustainability transformation.

Ecological restoration of biodiversity and forage productivity of degraded pasture ecosystems in the Central Asian Desert

The low productivity of pastures and its sharp fluctuations in the desert regions of Central Asia are due to the natural-historical factors of this natural zone. However, in recent years, these shortcomings of pastures have been further aggravated as a result of the rapid growth of the population, the continuous development of industry and transport in desert areas, and the pressure of anthropogenic and man-made factors on vegetation and soil is increasing from year to year. This caused disruption of the structure and normal functioning of pasture ecosystems, and their degradation. Mass degradation of pasture ecosystems in arid regions of Central Asia occurs in a short time, which dictates the need for environmental restoration of these destroyed pasture lands. The United Nations General Assembly, by resolution 73/284, adopted at the 69th plenary meeting on March 1, 2019, decided to proclaim 2021-2030 as the "United Nations Decade for the Restoration of Degraded Ecosystems" and called on UN member states to help strengthen political will, mobilize available resources, strengthening scientific studies on ecosystem restoration at the global, regional, national and local levels. To restore the lost biodiversity of the forage productivity of degraded pasture ecosystems in the Central Asian Karnabchul Desert, dominant species of forage plants were sown in the following ratio: Haloxylon aphyllum (15 %), Halothamnus subaphyllus (20 %), Artemisia diffusa (50 %) and Poa bulbosa (15 %). The conducted studies allow to conclude that use of zonal-typical life forms of dominant species of forage plants and sowing of their mixtures (combinations) ensures formation of multi-species multi-level pasture ecosystems with high and stable forage productivity over the years in the Central Asian desert. The restored multi-level and multi-species pasture ecosystems are endowed with the property of self-renewal and self-maintenance of the structural and functional organization. The restored multi-species shrub-semi-shrub-herbaceous pasture ecosystems with a characteristic set of species inherent in natural pasture communities are characterized by high stable forage productivity and perform a conservation function in the Central Asian desert.

The UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021–2030

The United Nations General Assembly declared the “United Nations Decade for Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, 2021–2030” in December 2017 to support the successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), including SDG14 on seas and oceans. Drawing on IOC documents, the review provides background information on the Decade to help promote awareness and participation of Vietnam, a country that has actively committed to the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations. The United Nations Decade of Marine Science for Sustainable Development vision is “the science we need for the ocean we want”. Decade’s mission is to “promote the transformation of ocean science for sustainable development, connecting people and our oceans”. The Decade is geared towards seven socially desirable goals of a pollution-free, ecologically healthy, predictable, safe, productive, transparent, and understood ocean. The Decade’s perspectives and directions for action encourage the scientific community, public, and decision-makers to think beyond just doing business as usual and expect real change in the process of ocean understanding and collaborative management and partnerships to support sustainable development and maintain healthy oceans. During 2019–2020, the IOC, as the coordinating body, coordinated to prepare the implementation plan for the Decade, including the operating mechanism, the method of financial mobilization and management, and the process of evaluating the Decade’s performance results.

New approaches for revegetating agricultural landscapes to provide connectivity for wildlife: The example of the Tasmanian Midlands, Australia

SummaryThere is an ongoing search for cost‐effective, practical and successful methods for landscape‐scale restoration required to meet the challenges posed by the United Nations Decade on Restoration 2021–2013. Mechanised cultivation techniques (rip mounding and Wilco spot cultivation), a range of revegetation strategies (dense reafforestation, riparian corridors, vegetation islets and scattered tree plantings) and best horticultural practice were employed to successfully establish extensive areas of local native trees and shrubs in highly altered agricultural landscapes within the Midlands of Tasmania, Australia. This region has been intensely farmed for the last 200 years and is characterised by past failures in native tree plantings. Between 2009 and 2018, 1800 ha were revegetated with a suite of hardy local native species to enhance, buffer and connect native vegetation remnants. These techniques were applied at a landscape scale to create biodiversity corridors that crossed the Midlands. Riparian corridors 100–200 m wide were created along 21 km of riverbank at an average density of 440 stems/ha. Fenced vegetation islets and individually caged scattered trees were established within and surrounding native vegetation remnants, at an average density of 143 stems/ha. Whole paddocks were densely reafforested at up to 800 stems/ha. Despite this, re‐establishing structurally complex and species diverse native vegetation, which can provide habitat for local native animals, proved challenging. In areas highly altered by a long history of farming, repeated interventions and long‐term relationships with landholders will be needed to achieve restoration objectives.