South Africa and Germany join forces to restore landscapes

Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider and his South African counterpart launched an IKI project to restore landscapes.

With climate change accelerating land degradation and biodiversity loss worldwide, South Africa and Germany are joining hands to restore vital ecosystems: The Restoring Landscapes in South Africa (ReLISA) project, funded by Germany's International Climate Initiative (IKI), supports South Africas efforts in scaling up restoration of degraded landscapes.

Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider and his South African counterpart Dion George officially launched the project in October in Cape Town.  

Carsten Schneider: 

“As countries everywhere feel the growing impacts of climate change, Germany stands ready to work jointly with our partners on nature-based solutions for climate and biodiversity. Through initiatives like ReLISA, we can restore landscapes for the benefit of people, nature, and the climate. Only by working together can we accelerate progress to meet the urgency of this moment.”

Building momentum through the G20

The launch was preceded by a side-event at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in Cape Town, during the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) Technical Meeting.

The side-event highlighted ReLISA’s contribution to G20 priorities on biodiversity, land degradation neutrality, and sustainable land management, while fostering knowledge exchange and dialogue among partners.

A path to scaled-up restoration

Globally, over 2 billion hectares of land are degraded, affecting 3.2 billion people. Every dollar invested in restoration yields up to US$30 in ecosystem services, and restoring 350 million hectares of land by 2030 could generate $9 trillion in ecosystem services while creating millions of jobs.

The IKI project ReLISA provides a model for how countries can work together to unlock these benefits at scale.

Background information

ReLISA, a five-year project (2024–2029) funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) through the International Climate Initiative (IKI), is tackling degradation in South Africa’s grassland, savanna, and thicket biomes.

By linking science, policy, and investment, the project will make the economic case for restoration while recognizing socio-cultural, economic, and land tenure contexts.