Published on 23 April 2020

SDG 15: Life on land

The 2030 Agenda defines SDG 15 as follows: protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss. Switzerland is making every effort to achieve this goal and its targets by 2030.

Goal 15: Life on land – United Nations Sustainable Development Goals — © UN

What is SDG 15 about?

SDG 15 calls for ecosystems to be preserved, restored and used sustainably. Maintaining biodiversity is a particularly important aim here, as are protecting forests and combating desertification.

Conserving biodiversity and using it sustainably is crucial to social and economic development. Biodiversity, and forests in particular, contribute to food security and good health, provide clean air and water, and store carbon emissions. SDG 15 aims to substantially increase reforestation globally. In addition, desertification must be combated by 2030 and land affected by desertification, drought and floods must be restored. To protect biodiversity, SDG 15 calls for urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected flora and fauna.

The Federal Council is committed to implementing the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development together with all UN member states by 2030. The federal government will provide an assessment of how well Switzerland has achieved each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. This will be based on an analysis of key progress and challenges for each of the total 169 targets.

How well has Switzerland progressed in its implementation of SDG 15?

What, specifically, is Switzerland doing to achieve SDG 15 and its targets? What do the figures say? What progress has Switzerland made? What challenges still need to be addressed? And who is involved in implementation?

You'll find the answers on SDGital2030.ch.

Documents

• Switzerland’s 2022 country report

  PDF8.15 MB12 July 2022

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