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Harmonized Policies for Resilient Landscape Restoration

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Challenges of natural resource degradation and inefficiencies increase vulnerability to natural hazards and climate change

Land degradation

Water mismanagement

Air pollution

Source: FAO

Source: WDI

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Important factor aggravating climate impacts in ECA is the legacy of poor natural resources management and resulting degradation:

Land degradation (desertification, salinity, erosion, etc), reduces the value of ecosystem services🡪 costs the Central Asia regional economy 4% of GDP but in mountain areas costs 13% (World Bank, 2020)
Deforestation: in some countries in the region linked to household energy/heating, link to emissions but also contributes to climate-induced impacts related to pests and disease, flooding, etc
Water management: efficiency of water use in Central Asia among the lowest in the world (linked to water and irrigation infrastructure + mispriced water, among other factors)– aggravates effects of reduced precipitation and changing precipitation patterns
Air pollution correlated to GHG emissions but also worsened by changing climate (higher temperatures / humidity exacerbate harmful health effects)-- exposure in W. Balkans, Caucasus, and Central Asia nearly 2x EU average; Turkey more than 3x; air pollution in ECA driven by ambient pollution rather than household pollution (which is a major driver in many other regions)

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Key Biodiversity Areas

Ferghana Valley region

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Tragedy of the Commons

The “tragedy of the commons” describes how a shared, open-access resource (the commons) tends to be overused and degraded because each individual gains the full benefit of using a bit more, while the costs of that extra use are spread across everyone. Over time, these individually rational choices add up to collectively harmful outcomes.

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�---�This slide references information from the following file: https://office.com?path=f7a24c3f-dfdd-45c6-ab93-525482688e5c��Harmonization significantly improves land restoration outcomes by promoting shared technical methodologies and collaborative planning. Countries in Central Asia develop common approaches for ecosystem classification, inventories, and Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets, enabling joint strategies and financing mechanisms. This alignment ensures consistency in restoration practices and facilitates large-scale impact. A regional online database is being established to share sustainable landscape management data and guidance, increasing transparency and accelerating the adoption of best practices. Harmonized protocols for nature-based solutions—such as road protection, slope stabilization, riverbank rehabilitation, and mudflow mitigation—ensure uniform standards across borders, reducing failure risks and enhancing ecological continuity. These measures not only restore degraded lands but also strengthen resilience against climate-induced disasters. Concrete results include vast areas brought under improved management, such as 253,464 hectares in Uzbekistan, which support ecosystem services like water regulation, soil fertility, and biodiversity conservation. By working together, countries can restore landscapes more effectively, secure livelihoods, and contribute to regional environmental stability.��Image source: Microsoft 365 content library�

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Source: Micklin 2010

The Shrinking Aral Sea

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Why Harmonization?

Cross-border Ecological Restoration

Coordinated policies help restore shared ecosystems and maintaining ecological connectivity across nations.

Infrastructure and Community Resilience

Joint standards for nature-based and grey solutions.

Improved Policy Efficiency

Harmonization reduces duplication, cuts administrative costs, and prevents negative environmental spillovers between countries.

Enhanced Regional Collaboration

Shared resources, data, and expertise foster trust and improve decision-making for sustainable development.

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�---�This slide references information from the following file: https://office.com?path=f7a24c3f-dfdd-45c6-ab93-525482688e5c��Harmonization is crucial in Central Asia because many ecological and economic challenges transcend national borders, making isolated actions less effective. Coordinated policies allow countries to restore shared ecosystems such as forests, rangelands, and agricultural lands, ensuring ecological connectivity and integrity across borders. This approach strengthens resilience for infrastructure and communities by applying joint standards for nature-based and grey solutions, which protect roads, railways, irrigation canals, and settlements in transboundary basins and mountain corridors. Harmonization also enhances policy efficiency by avoiding duplication of efforts, reducing administrative costs, and preventing negative spillovers like upstream interventions causing downstream erosion. By aligning strategies, countries can collectively address climate change impacts, biodiversity loss, and land degradation, creating a unified framework for sustainable development. Furthermore, harmonization fosters trust and collaboration among nations, enabling them to share resources, expertise, and data for better decision-making. This integrated approach ensures that restoration and development efforts are not fragmented but instead contribute to regional stability and prosperity.��Image source: Microsoft 365 content library�

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Beneficial Outcomes

Enhancing Ecosystem Health and Resilience

Driving Economic Growth and Opportunities

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�---�This slide references information from the following file: https://office.com?path=f7a24c3f-dfdd-45c6-ab93-525482688e5c��Harmonization significantly improves land restoration outcomes by promoting shared technical methodologies and collaborative planning. Countries in Central Asia develop common approaches for ecosystem classification, inventories, and Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets, enabling joint strategies and financing mechanisms. This alignment ensures consistency in restoration practices and facilitates large-scale impact. A regional online database is being established to share sustainable landscape management data and guidance, increasing transparency and accelerating the adoption of best practices. Harmonized protocols for nature-based solutions—such as road protection, slope stabilization, riverbank rehabilitation, and mudflow mitigation—ensure uniform standards across borders, reducing failure risks and enhancing ecological continuity. These measures not only restore degraded lands but also strengthen resilience against climate-induced disasters. Concrete results include vast areas brought under improved management, such as 253,464 hectares in Uzbekistan, which support ecosystem services like water regulation, soil fertility, and biodiversity conservation. By working together, countries can restore landscapes more effectively, secure livelihoods, and contribute to regional environmental stability.��Image source: Microsoft 365 content library�

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Examples

Initiative 20x20 (LAC): A country‑led coalition to accelerate forest and landscape restoration, now targeting protection/restoration of 50 million hectares by 2030 across Latin America and the Caribbean. It links public commitments with private finance and technical partners, with the World Resources Institute (WRI) serving as secretariat and convener of country, investor and technical partner networks.

Great Green Wall (Africa): An African Union flagship launched in 2007 to restore 100 million hectares in the Sahel/Sahara region by 2030, create 10 million green jobs and sequester 250 million tons of CO2. It is coordinated by the Pan‑African Agency of the Great Green Wall (PAGGW), working with 11 Sahelian member states and regional partners.

AFR100 (Africa): A pan‑African forest landscape restoration partnership (AU‑led) housed in the AUDA‑NEPAD Secretariat, connecting 30+ governments with technical/finance partners to restore 100 million hectares by 2030 (commitments now exceed that target).

Bonn Challenge (global): A voluntary global FLR target (150 million ha by 2020; 350 million ha by 2030), for which both Initiative 20x20 and AFR100 are regional “pathways.” IUCN hosts the secretariat and runs a Barometer to track pledges and progress

Official Use Only

�---�This slide references information from the following file: https://office.com?path=f7a24c3f-dfdd-45c6-ab93-525482688e5c��Harmonization significantly improves land restoration outcomes by promoting shared technical methodologies and collaborative planning. Countries in Central Asia develop common approaches for ecosystem classification, inventories, and Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets, enabling joint strategies and financing mechanisms. This alignment ensures consistency in restoration practices and facilitates large-scale impact. A regional online database is being established to share sustainable landscape management data and guidance, increasing transparency and accelerating the adoption of best practices. Harmonized protocols for nature-based solutions—such as road protection, slope stabilization, riverbank rehabilitation, and mudflow mitigation—ensure uniform standards across borders, reducing failure risks and enhancing ecological continuity. These measures not only restore degraded lands but also strengthen resilience against climate-induced disasters. Concrete results include vast areas brought under improved management, such as 253,464 hectares in Uzbekistan, which support ecosystem services like water regulation, soil fertility, and biodiversity conservation. By working together, countries can restore landscapes more effectively, secure livelihoods, and contribute to regional environmental stability.��Image source: Microsoft 365 content library�

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What is the status?

What should we do to harmonize polices in CA?

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�---�This slide references information from the following file: https://office.com?path=f7a24c3f-dfdd-45c6-ab93-525482688e5c��Harmonization significantly improves land restoration outcomes by promoting shared technical methodologies and collaborative planning. Countries in Central Asia develop common approaches for ecosystem classification, inventories, and Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets, enabling joint strategies and financing mechanisms. This alignment ensures consistency in restoration practices and facilitates large-scale impact. A regional online database is being established to share sustainable landscape management data and guidance, increasing transparency and accelerating the adoption of best practices. Harmonized protocols for nature-based solutions—such as road protection, slope stabilization, riverbank rehabilitation, and mudflow mitigation—ensure uniform standards across borders, reducing failure risks and enhancing ecological continuity. These measures not only restore degraded lands but also strengthen resilience against climate-induced disasters. Concrete results include vast areas brought under improved management, such as 253,464 hectares in Uzbekistan, which support ecosystem services like water regulation, soil fertility, and biodiversity conservation. By working together, countries can restore landscapes more effectively, secure livelihoods, and contribute to regional environmental stability.��Image source: Microsoft 365 content library�

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�THANK YOU�

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