Cape Town, 16 October 2025 – South Africa and Germany officially launched the Restoring Landscapes in South Africa (ReLISA) project, a UNEP-led initiative designed to combat land degradation, strengthen ecosystem services, and enhance community resilience in some of South Africa’s most critical biomes.
The launch, held on the margins of the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) Ministerial Meeting in Cape Town on 16 October 2025, was jointly officiated by Hon. Dion George, South Africa’s Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE); Hon. Carsten Schneider, German Federal Minister for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN); Ms. Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); and Mr. Nelson Muffuh, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in South Africa.
Funded through Germany’s International Climate Initiative (IKI), the five-year project (2024–2029) aims to restore degraded ecosystems across South Africa’s grassland, savanna, and thicket biomes. By linking science, policy, and investment, ReLISA will demonstrate how restoration can generate both ecological and socio-economic benefits, while informing national and global policy on sustainable land management.
Ahead of the launch, Minister Schneider emphasized the importance of partnership and collective action: “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”.
The launch built on discussions held earlier in the week, on 13 October, at a G20 ECSWG side-event at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, which showcased how ReLISA contributes to G20 priorities on biodiversity, land degradation neutrality, and sustainable land management. Participants exchanged lessons and strategies to scale up nature-based solutions that link environmental and economic resilience.
As part of the side-event, Mr. Salman Hussain, ReLISA Project Lead and Head of UNEP’s Economics of Nature Unit, unveiled the ReLISA Interactive Map, an online tool that highlights restoration sites and progress across South Africa. The map is complemented by the ReLISA Photobook – a visual narrative that captures the beauty and importance of diverse landscapes, longlisted for ReLISA project activities. The book highlights ecological challenges, restoration action needed and economic opportunities.
Through this initiative (ReLISA project), South Africa and Germany reaffirm their shared commitment to ecosystem restoration as a cornerstone of climate action – turning ambition into tangible results for people and the planet.
Last modified: October 31, 2025
