“Our Land. Our Future. We are Generation Restoration.”
World Environment Day, celebrated annually on June 5, is the United Nations’ principal platform for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the protection of our environment. The 2025 theme—“Land Restoration, Desertification and Drought Resilience”—resonates with one of the planet’s most urgent challenges: the degradation of ecosystems.
Hosted by: Saudi Arabia, this year’s observance is deeply intertwined with the commitments made under the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). With over 40% of Earth’s land degraded, threatening half of humanity, the theme underlines that restoring land is not just an environmental issue—it’s a socio-economic necessity.
Origin and Evolution of World Environment Day
First established in 1972 during the UN Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, World Environment Day was first celebrated in 1973. Since then, it has become a global platform for public outreach with participation from over 150 countries annually.
Each year, a different host country leads the celebrations, and a unique theme is chosen to highlight specific environmental concerns. Past themes have ranged from plastic pollution to biodiversity, climate change, and air pollution.
2025 Focus: Land Restoration & Desertification
This year’s theme draws urgent attention to desertification, land degradation, and drought—problems that directly impact food security, biodiversity, and climate resilience. Globally:
- Up to 40% of land is degraded, according to the UNCCD.
- 3.2 billion people are affected by desertification.
- 85% of the world’s wetlands have been lost since 1700.
- 23 countries face drought emergencies in recent years.
India, with 30% of its land degraded and 21 drought-prone states, stands to benefit immensely from investment in land restoration.
Key Restoration Strategies Promoted
- Agroforestry and regenerative agriculture to replenish soil health.
- Watershed management to address drought and flooding simultaneously.
- Green infrastructure over grey infrastructure to enhance ecological resilience.
- Afforestation and reforestation with native species.
- Community-led restoration, including tribal and pastoral practices.
- Nature-based solutions in urban ecosystems.
India’s Initiatives Aligned with the Theme
India is actively pursuing multiple restoration and sustainability initiatives:
- National Afforestation Programme (NAP) and Green India Mission (GIM).
- Bonn Challenge commitment: Restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.
- PM-PRANAM (PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother Earth) to promote alternative fertilisers.
- Namami Gange and Atal Bhujal Yojana to link water conservation with land rejuvenation.
- MISHTI (Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes) for coastal restoration.
Land Restoration: The Climate-Security-Livelihood Nexus
Restoring land directly contributes to:
- Climate Change Mitigation: Healthy soils sequester carbon.
- Biodiversity: Supports pollinators, keystone species, and food webs.
- Water Security: Enhanced infiltration and groundwater recharge.
- Livelihoods: Especially for 1.5 billion smallholder farmers globally.
- Conflict Prevention: Prevents resource-related displacement and conflict.
UNEP, FAO & Science-Policy Partnerships
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and FAO advocate for science-backed ecosystem restoration. The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030) remains a guiding framework, integrating:
- Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) indicators.
- Monitoring via satellite remote sensing and AI.
- Restoration economy—generating green jobs and sustainable income.
The Role of Citizens: #GenerationRestoration
This year’s slogan—“We are #GenerationRestoration”—invites every citizen, student, farmer, policymaker, and entrepreneur to participate. Examples include:
- Adopting permaculture or rooftop gardens.
- Joining local biodiversity mapping.
- Using open data platforms like India’s Bhuvan or UNEP’s Restor.
- Advocating against land misuse and deforestation.
Earth Can Heal, but Only If We Act
World Environment Day 2025 reminds us that land degradation is not destiny. It is a reversible challenge, contingent on political will, community involvement, and innovative solutions. As the intergovernmental negotiations ahead of COP16 to the UNCCD unfold, nations must match rhetoric with resolute, regenerative action.
Let us move from protest to restoration, from extraction to reciprocity—because “Our land. Our future.”