“Ecosystem Restoration” is the theme of World Environment Day 2025

June 5 is World Environment Day. The theme for 2025 is “Ecosystem Restoration.” This day was established by the UN in 1972, and since then has become a key date for all those working to preserve nature, protect biodiversity, and ensure a sustainable future for humanity.

Every year, World Environment Day focuses on one of the critical topics. In 2025, this topic is ecosystem restoration, and it is extremely relevant for Ukraine and the world in general.

What are ecosystems and why do they need restoration? Ecosystems are interconnected complexes of living and non-living nature: forests, rivers, lakes, swamps, steppes, oceans, soils, urban green areas. They provide us with clean water and air, food, a stable climate, and protection from natural disasters. However, due to human activity, many of them are under threat of extinction or have been completely destroyed. The main causes of degradation are: – excessive use of natural resources, – intensive agriculture, – deforestation, – environmental pollution with chemicals and plastics, – climate change, – urbanization, – and, in the Ukrainian context, – war.

The war in Ukraine has dealt a devastating blow to the environment: Thousands of hectares of forest have been destroyed, water bodies and soils have been poisoned, national parks have been destroyed, fields and forests have been mined. According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, more than 30% of nature reserves have been damaged as a result of hostilities. Therefore, for us, the topic of ecosystem restoration is not only a global challenge, but also a matter of survival.

Restoration is not just a return to the past state. It is a conscious rethinking of interaction with nature. This means: – cleaning and restoring rivers, swamps, and reservoirs, – reforesting territories and preserving remnants of primeval forests, – recultivation of contaminated lands, – protecting soils from erosion, – creating green infrastructure in cities, – returning biodiversity to where it was lost.

Each of us can be part of this process. Restoration begins with the decisions we make every day: – supporting local farmers who work in harmony with nature, – choosing ecological transport, – reducing consumption of disposable goods, – participating in tree planting or riverbank cleaning, – spreading knowledge about environmental problems and solutions. Restoring ecosystems is not a temporary action, but a long-term strategy that requires the participation of everyone: states, communities, businesses, scientists and citizens. We do not have a second chance on this planet. Nature gives us everything we need to live. Today is the time to reciprocate – and take part in its restoration.