At the core of UNEP’s work on nature is the reality that conservation and restoration will only work if local communities both drive and benefit from the process. That’s why, from Cameroon to China, the organization has focused on creating sustainable economic opportunities for local communities. 

UNEP led on-the-ground work across 148 countries to conserve, sustainably manage and restore natural spaces. As a result of that work, at least 170,000 square kilometres of terrestrial and marine areas were under improved management during the 2025 fiscal year, which ended in June. More than 2.3 million people are expected to benefit from those efforts – double the number from the previous year. 

In Cameroon, for example, UNEP supported small-holder cocoa farmers in bolstering their yields, eliminating the need for them to cut down trees in a nearby wildlife reserve. That was part of a larger UNEP effort that has seen 4,000 square kilometres of rainforests and peatlands placed under improved management across eight Congo Basin countries. This swath of greenery is home to 11,000 species and is one of the planet’s largest carbon sinks. 

Meanwhile, in Chile, UNEP supported communities in safeguarding more than 3,000 square kilometres of wetlands along the country’s coast, protecting homes from storm surges and bolstering a growing eco-tourism sector. In Mongolia, the organization and partners restored 52 square kilometres of carbon-filled peatlands and permafrost, a push that will also improve rangelands for 14,000 reindeer herders. Finally, in Madagascar, UNEP backed 18 villages to gain the right to manage their own natural resources with the aim of halting deforestation, protecting plants and animals found nowhere else on Earth. 

A focus of UNEP’s work on landscapes was the mounting threat of desertification. The organization worked in 140 countries – leveraging US$334 million in grants – to slow land degradation and combat drought. That included supporting the Great Green Wall, an Africa-led effort to regreen the Sahel in nine countries. 

UNEP also supported the conservation and restoration of marine environments – including mangroves, coral reefs and seagrass meadows – in 27 countries. That led to the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of 22,000 square kilometres of ecosystems by the end of last year. 

UNEP supported five countries in Southeast Asia to better manage 10,000 square kilometres of ocean, much of that area home to key fisheries. In Mexico, UNEP supported the conservation of mangrove forests, important breeding grounds for fish. And in Libya, UNEP backed the improved management of 10 square kilometres of protected areas around Garah Island, a key breeding ground for seabirds.