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**For more information or to set up interviews please contact:** Ewa Magiera, ewa.magiera@iucn.org +41 76 505 33 78 Mark Gnadt, mark.gnadt@iucn.org, +41 79 560 62 89 **For immediate release** **Paris climate deal increases hopes for a sustainable future – IUCN** **Paris, France, 12 December 2015 (IUCN)** – IUCN welcomes the new climate agreement adopted today by the world’s governments at the UN climate summit in Paris (COP 21), and its recognition of nature’s critical role in tackling climate change. The role of forests, oceans and other natural ecosystems in absorbing carbon emissions and helping nations adapt to a changing climate has been clearly acknowledged in the new agreement, which has been adopted by nearly 200 countries following two weeks of intense negotiations. The agreement notes the importance of ensuring the integrity of all ecosystems and the protection of biodiversity when taking action to address climate change. “Nature is a powerful ally in our fight against climate change,” says **Inger Andersen, IUCN Director General.** “We are encouraged to see such a strong focus on nature-based solutions in the new agreement, which lays a solid foundation for the world to move towards a more sustainable, resilient and low-carbon future. We cannot afford to leave nature out of the equation; no climate action can possibly succeed without it.” While biodiversity and ecosystems are threatened by climate change, their conservation, restoration and sustainable management generate significant and practical nature-based solutions to climate change. Terrestrial ecosystems store almost three times the amount of carbon found in the atmosphere, while healthy oceans absorb over 25% of annual carbon dioxide emissions. The Paris agreement signals the will of the international community to mobilise all sectors and stakeholders to keep the global average temperature rise well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C. The deal sets the stage for accelerated action on climate change at all levels, while promoting environmental integrity and respecting gender equality, intergenerational equity and human rights – including those of Indigenous Peoples. “We congratulate all Parties, and particularly the French government, on the successful hosting and conclusion of this landmark summit,” says **IUCN President Mr Zhang Xinsheng**. “The world has finally realised that what was at stake here in Paris was a deal that will ultimately define the future of our planet. Our eyes now turn to Hawai’i, where next year the IUCN World Conservation Congress will bring the global conservation community together to ensure that the ambitious promises laid out today are translated into even more ambitious action on the ground.” **For more information or to set up interviews please contact:** Ewa Magiera, IUCN Media Relations, ewa.magiera@iucn.org +41 76 505 33 78 Mark Gnadt, mark.gnadt@iucn.org, +41 79 560 62 89 **Editor’s notes** [|IUCN’s position on climate change]. **About IUCN** IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges. IUCN’s work focusses on valuing and conserving nature, ensuring effective and equitable governance of its use, and deploying nature-based solutions to global challenges in climate, food and development. IUCN supports scientific research, manages field projects all over the world, and brings governments, NGOs, the UN and companies together to develop policy, laws and best practice. IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organisation, with more than 1,200 government and NGO Members and almost 11,000 volunteer experts in some 160 countries. IUCN’s work is supported by over 1,000 staff in 45 offices and hundreds of partners in public, NGO and private sectors around the world. [|www.iucn.org] **Ewa Magiera** Media and Communications Manager Global Communications Unit IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature)

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**For immediate release** **Leaders pledge to restore additional 18 million hectares of critical landscapes as part of global target**

**Paris, France, 6 December 2015 (IUCN)** – Government and business representatives from Burundi, Honduras, India, Mexican States, KPK province of Pakistan and Asia Pulp and Paper have announced new pledges today to restore up to 18 million hectares of degraded forests, as part of the UN climate change conference (COP 21) taking place in Paris. The contributions come under [|**the Bonn Challenge**] **,** a global initiative launched by Germany and IUCN in 2011 to have 150 million hectares of deforested and degraded land under restoration by 2020. This target was endorsed by the UN Climate Summit in 2014 and extended to 350 million hectares under restoration by 2030. Today’s announcements join recent commitments made through other initiatives, bringing the total of Bonn Challenge pledges to just over 86 million hectares. India has pledged to restore 13 million hectares, and is the first BRIC country to make a Bonn Challenge commitment. The commitment to restore one million hectares by Asia Pulp and Paper – one of the biggest producers of pulp, paper and packaging in the world – is the first private-sector pledge to the Bonn Challenge. “Forest landscape restoration is a no-regrets option,” says **IUCN Director General Inger Andersen**. “In addition to its invaluable carbon sequestration potential, it offers a whole suite of benefits, including food security and soil conservation in Ethiopia, water for megacities in China, and rural development and jobs in Guatemala. “It is encouraging to see more countries and businesses recognising the power and cost-effectiveness of nature-based solutions like forest landscape restoration. Delegates here in Paris must take these solutions into account when finalising the new climate agreement.” Achieving the 350 million-hectare goal could generate US$ 170 billion per year in net benefits from watershed protection, improved crop yields and forest products, and could sequester up to 1.7 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent annually. Prior to the UNFCCC COP 21, 13 countries and a regional alliance had pledged almost 60 million hectares to the Bonn Challenge. “Paris COP 21 and Global Landscapes Forum 2015 are not just about political commitments. They are about actions and implementation,” says **Franzjosef Schafhausen, Director General, Climate Policy, Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, Government of Germany**. “Bringing back degraded and deforested lands can help stabilise the climate while sustainably supporting global and local economies.” The new commitments were made during the Global Landscapes Forum at a session hosted by IUCN. **For more information or to set up interviews, please contact** Sandra Caya, IUCN Communications, e-mail: Sandra.Caya@iucn.org tel.: +41 79 832 7593 **Editor’s notes** Highlights of today’s announcements: **About forest landscape restoration** Forest landscape restoration is not just about planting trees – it accommodates a mosaic of different land uses, including agriculture, agroforestry, protected wildlife reserves, regenerated forests, well-managed plantations and riverside plantings. Key aspects are multi-functionality, landscape-scale, stakeholder engagement, no conversion of natural ecosystems, and adaptive management. Implementation of forest landscape restoration makes Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) operational and contributes to achieving the REDD+ global goal to slow, halt and reverse forest and forest carbon loss, as well as the Aichi targets, land degradation neutrality goal and the Sustainable Development Goals. [|**http://www.bonnchallenge.org**] [|**http://www.landscapes.org/glf-2015/**] **About IUCN** IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges. IUCN’s work focusses on valuing and conserving nature, ensuring effective and equitable governance of its use, and deploying nature-based solutions to global challenges in climate, food and development. IUCN supports scientific research, manages field projects all over the world, and brings governments, NGOs, the UN and companies together to develop policy, laws and best practice. IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organisation, with almost 1,300 government and NGO Members and more than 15,000 volunteer experts in 185 countries. IUCN’s work is supported by almost 1,000 staff in 45 offices and hundreds of partners in public, NGO and private sectors around the world. [|www.iucn.org]
 * **Hon. Emmanuel Niyonkuru**, Minister of Water, Environment, Land Management and Urbanism, Burundi, announced the country’s commitment of **2 million hectares**
 * **Hon. José Antonio Galdames**, Secretary of State, Ministry of Energy, Natural Resources, Environment and Mining, Honduras, announced the country’s **1 million hectare** commitment
 * **Dr J.R. Bhatt**, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India, announced its **13 million-hectare** commitment. India is the first BRIC country committed to the Bonn Challenge
 * **Ms. Aida Greenbury**, Managing Director, Sustainability & Stakeholder Engagement, Asia Pulp & Paper, announced the company’s **1 million-hectare** commitment, the first private-sector pledge to the Bonn Challenge
 * The first subnational commitments to the Bonn Challenge came from **Hon. Carlos Antonio Munoz Berzunza**, Secretary of Ecology and Environment, Quintana Roo State, Mexico, with **300,000 hectares**; **Hon. Roberto Alcala Ferraez**, Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources, Campeche State, Mexico, with **350,000 hectares**; **Mr Roberto Vallejo**, Director of Planning and Sustainability Policies, Yucatan State, Mexico, with **300,000 hectares**; **Mr Malik Amin Aslam Khan**, representing the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Province, Pakistan, former Minister of State for Environment of Pakistan, IUCN Global Vice President, with **384,000** hectares
 * Launch of the Bonn Challenge **FLR Desk** – [|bonnchallenge.org/FLRdesk] – a new portal to profile existing domestic actions on restoration, showing that restoration leadership and achieving the Bonn Challenge global climate and biodiversity goals are within reach

[|**IUCN at COP 21**]