GPI2050 contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals
ReGreening Initiatives contributes to and supports progress towards the majority of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It provides a direct contribution to the following four goals:
SDG 1
No Poverty – ReGreening Initiatives contributes to ending poverty for local communities both by
increasing income and by increasing the sustainability of land-based livelihoods due to improved natural
resource base.
SDG 2
Zero Hunger – ReGreening Initiatives contributes to ending hunger and improving nutrition by
improving soil fertility and crop viability, increasing access to wild foods and animal fodder, reducing
stresses for livestock and decreasing disaster risk to food supplies.
SDG 3
Good Health and Well-being – ReGreening Initiatives can contribute to communities’ ability to
access healthcare through increased income, and can also contribute to improved nutrition and
increased availability of plant-based medicines.
SDG 4
Quality Education – ReGreening Initiatives can enable communities to access education for
children through improved income and by reducing the need for children to contribute towards
household income or devote excessive time to seeking firewood. Because of its focus on gender and
minority group inclusion and empowerment, ReGreening Initiatives may also help to shift attitudes
towards the education of girls and other marginalised groups.
SDG 5
Gender Equality – Inclusion and equality of women are key components of ReGreening
Initiatives. ReGreening Initiatives not only seeks to lighten the burdens of women and girls by increasing
access to resources such as firewood, but also seeks to improve their status as decision-makers who
control assets, income and land rights equally with men. ReGreening Initiatives empowers women to
benefit from their labour and increase their assets.
SDG 8
Decent Work and Economic Growth – ReGreening Initiatives helps to make traditional livelihoods
sustainable and productive and increases opportunities for decent work that restores and enhances
productive resources in a community.
SDG 10
Reduced Inequalities – ReGreening Initiatives can help to reduce income inequalities within
communities and between communities as well, potentially reducing the need for economic migration.
SDG 11
Sustainable Cities and Communities – ReGreening Initiatives contributes to local communities
becoming more inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Through REGREENING INITIATIVES, incomes
rise and resources – including food, water, timber and firewood – can increase, contributing towards the
sustainability of cities and communities.
SDG 12
Responsible Consumption and Production – ReGreening Initiatives contributes to the
sustainable consumption and production of wood and other forest products, as well as to sustainable
agricultural production.
SDG 13
Climate Action – As previously described, ReGreening Initiatives contributes to both the
mitigation of climate change and to each community’s ability to adapt to it. ReGreening Initiatives
increases the number of trees sequestering carbon, reduces the burning of fields and the need for
agricultural chemicals, and improves the soil’s capacity to absorb carbon. ReGreening Initiatives also
builds resilience among communities, by altering the micro-climate of crops, protecting them from
extremes of heat and wind, reducing erosion by slowing wind and water speed, increasing water
retention and infiltration, increasing soil complexity, diversifying food sources, and increasing capacity
for advocacy and collective action. ReGreening Initiatives also qualifies as a climate change mitigation
methodology under United Nations climate action initiatives such as the Clean Development Mechanism
and REDD+.
SDG 15
Life on Land – ReGreening Initiatives contributes directly to every element outlined in goal 15,
which aims to “sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation
[and] halt biodiversity loss”.
SDG 16
Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions – ReGreening Initiatives can contribute significantly to
promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, improving access to justice for
all users of the land under management, and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at
all levels. Anecdotal evidence indicates that, as resource availability expands because of ReGreening
Initiatives, conflict over scarce natural resources has reduced enhancing integration and social cohesion
amongst communities.