About Us
About Make a Difference Week
Turning Interest Into Action
The challenges of today requires problem-solvers who bring different perspectives and are willing to take risks. The University of Victoria's Make a Difference Week Team emerged out of a pursuit to inspire and support the community, and a desire for actions to speak louder than words.
The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration launches this year; it is a rallying call for the protection and revival of ecosystems all around the world, for the benefit of humanity and nature. The declaration aims to halt the degradation of ecosystems and create a restorative mindset in our communities. The Decade, proclaimed following a proposal for action by over 70 countries, runs from 2021 to 2030. The healthier our ecosystems are, the healthier the planet and its people! This Decade supports ecosystems on every continent and in every ocean. It can help to alleviate poverty, combat climate change, and curtail mass extinction. It will only succeed if everyone plays a part.
This Decade offers an opportunity to collaborate regionally on a collective push to raise awareness of ecosystem restoration in our region, and to encourage hands-on action by regional agencies and residents. Led by the Restoration of Natural Systems Program at the University of Victoria, representatives from municipalities, conservancies, and volunteer groups have come together to help organize a regional movement.
The time is now. The need is great.
About the Decade
Preventing, halting and reversing the degradation of ecosystems worldwide.
The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is a rallying call for the protection and revival of ecosystems all around the world, for the benefit of people and nature. It aims to halt the degradation of ecosystems, and restore them to achieve global goals. Only with healthy ecosystems can we enhance people’s livelihoods, counteract climate change, and stop the collapse of biodiversity.
The UN Decade runs from 2021 through 2030, which is also the deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals and the timeline scientists have identified as the last chance to prevent catastrophic climate change.
The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed the UN Decade following a proposal for action by over 70 countries from all latitudes. View the resolution here.
Led by the United Nations Environment Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, The UN Decade is building a strong, broad-based global movement to ramp up restoration and put the world on track for a sustainable future. That will include building political momentum for restoration as well as thousands of initiatives on the ground.
Through communications, events and a dedicated web platform, the UN Decade will provide a hub for everyone interested in restoration to find projects, partners, funding and the knowledge they need to make their restoration efforts a success.
The Need is Great. The Time is Now.
Narrated by Sarika Cullis-Suzuki
Music by @pondermars
Video clips provided by @onetreeplanted, Parks Canada, Queensland Parks and Wildlife, and Kludak film crews.
Video compiled by Michael Makaroff (https://www.kludak.ca/)
