Alcoa Foundation, IUCN Partner to Support Critical Research on Ecosystem Restoration
April 21 2022 - 4:10PM
Business Wire
Alcoa Foundation today announced a partnership with the
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to
investigate how ecosystem restoration projects can successfully
contribute to biodiversity and community benefits under different
environmental and social contexts.
Funded by a $1.5 million Alcoa Foundation grant, the three-year
project will examine the biodiversity and community benefits of
existing restoration projects in Iceland and Brazil, which are
diverse in landscape and legal frameworks. Led by IUCN, the work
will engage research institutions in both countries to explore
existing restoration approaches and impacts. Other subject matter
experts from IUCN’s academic network will provide advisory
support.
The knowledge gathered will be developed into a model that can
be applied across geographies to increase confidence in restoration
projects. The model will include a viability assessment framework
focused on social and economic outcomes of restoration
projects.
“There is an urgent need to tackle the degradation of ecosystems
and the resulting loss of biodiversity through restoration
efforts,” said Rosa García Pineiro, President of Alcoa Foundation.
“This project will make a significant contribution toward finding
ways to successfully achieve this and also help us realize the
United Nations’ vision of living in harmony with nature.”
Land use change, such as clearing for agriculture and food
production, is a leading cause of ecosystem degradation and loss of
biodiversity. Restoration initiatives seeking to reverse degrading
processes can equally impact people’s livelihoods and economic
well-being. Tensions from land use change, however, could increase
as restoration initiatives become more ambitious in scale, putting
success at risk.
Dr. Tracy Farrell, Chief Executive Officer of IUCN-US has said,
“This project will provide us with a greater understanding of how
to best achieve ecological restoration results, with results
applicable worldwide.”
Restoration of degraded ecosystems on land and in oceans is
recognized as a key contributor to combating climate change and
addressing global biodiversity loss. In June 2021, the United
Nations launched its Decade on Ecosystem Restoration initiative
that is aimed at preventing, halting and reversing degradation of
ecosystems worldwide.
Signatory countries to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity
and its post-2020 global biodiversity framework are also set to
have at least 20 percent of degraded ecosystems under restoration
by 2030. At smaller scale, such as for development proposals, there
is increasing use of measures to offset unavoidable impacts on
biodiversity, with restoration of degraded ecosystems being one way
to achieve this.
About Alcoa Foundation
Alcoa Foundation invests where Alcoa has a presence, partnering
with communities to address local needs in a sustainable manner.
With its nonprofit partners, Alcoa Foundation contributes to
programs that protect and preserve the environment and promote
equitable access to education and skills-building opportunities.
For more information, visit www.alcoa.com/foundation.
About IUCN
IUCN is a membership Union composed of both government and civil
society organizations. It harnesses the experience, resources and
reach of its more than 1,400 Member organizations and the input of
more than 18,000 experts. IUCN is the global authority on the
status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard
it. For more information, visit www.iucn.org.
About IUCN - United States
IUCN - United States is a partner organization to IUCN,
incorporated in 1986 in the District of Columbia with a 501(c)(3)
charitable status under U.S. law. It has been supporting IUCN, and
its network of members and partners for over 25 years. IUCN-US
provides financial support to both IUCN and other partner
organizations with similar missions in addressing some of the
world’s greatest environmental challenges. www.iucnus.org
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Media Contact Kayla Branch 202-215-0734
Kayla.Branch2@alcoa.com
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