FAO reports nearly 44 million hectares under restoration, with uneven evidence of recovery

Its central question is how that recovery can endure.

Its account draws on the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2025. Seventy countries and areas reported almost 44 million hectares under forest restoration. India reported 9.8 million hectares, China 7.9 million, Ethiopia 5 million, Indonesia 4.7 million and Türkiye 3.4 million. Together, those five account for about 70% of the reported area.

The figures make the scale of existing work visible. They do not rank restoration quality. Countries use different definitions, time periods and scopes, while several major forest countries supplied no quantified progress. The United States, Brazil, Canada, Australia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are among the gaps. Unreported activity must not be mistaken for no activity.

The report organizes improvement around four connected needs: people with secure rights and a meaningful role; land planning suited to local conditions; finance that can support sustained work; and laws and institutions that reinforce the effort. Planting, natural regeneration and productive landscapes belong in that larger design, rather than competing for a universal prescription.

For anyone considering a restoration donation, partnership or project, use the report to ask for a baseline, a clear account of land rights, a maintenance budget and evidence of ecological change over time. That is an editorial application of its findings. A credible project should explain what is being restored, for whom, and how progress will remain observable after the initial work.