Global assessment of riparian corridor extent and condition for biodiversity conservation and restoration

Objective

The biodiversity and climate crises have prompted large-scale international commitments for protection and restoration of the world’s ecosystems, such as the EU Nature Restoration Law. As governments worldwide develop restoration plans, a key challenge is to identify what and where to protect and restore to achieve multiple benefits for nature, climate and society. Riparian ecosystems, which occupy the space between rivers and land, can contribute multiple benefits from refugia for terrestrial biodiversity, to improving river ecosystem health, to clean water and carbon storage all in a relatively small area. However, the global distribution and condition of riparian ecosystems remain largely unknown and neglected in international policies. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) programme, the GreenCorridor project will provide a new global understanding of the distribution and condition of riparian ecosystems based on Earth Observation. The project will provide novel global maps on riparian ecosystem extent and condition to support the implementation of nature restoration and protection policies.