RestorLife Awards 2025 Honors Two Visionary Environmental Initiatives

Zurich, Switzerland, April 22, 2025 — On Earth Day, Restor and the G20 Global Land Initiative proudly announce the winners of the RestorLife Awards, selected from over 1,000 applications submitted by NGOs and businesses across the globe. Following a rigorous evaluation process, 16 NGO finalists and 10 business finalists were shortlisted. 

RestorLife Awards 2025 winners are:

Ecoporé Winner of NGO Award (USD 25,000 prize)

A Brazilian nonprofit restoring degraded Amazonian lands through agroforestry and local leadership.

Terraformation Winner of the Responsible Business Leadership Award

A global reforestation company using science, finance, and seed banking to accelerate ecosystem restoration. 

Launched at the UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh, the RestorLife Awards’ mission is to honor and fund the work of restoration champions, those regenerating land and ecosystems in ways that also uplift people and local economies. The awards align with the G20’s Global Land Initiative goal to restore 50% of degraded land worldwide by 2040.

“The G20 Global Land Initiative has a goal of achieving a 50 percent reduction in degraded land by 2040. While large-scale national initiatives will be needed to achieve such a goal, we also need to recognize the efforts of smaller actors and the private sector engaged in restoration. The sophistication and innovation the two winners bring to their restoration work are bold and breathtaking, and worthy of this award,” says Dr. Muralee Thummarukudy, Director, UNCCD-G20 Global Land Initiative. 

“Restoration is already happening in every corner of the planet, led by nature stewards who understand that thriving ecosystems and thriving communities go hand in hand,” said Tom Elliott, CEO of Restor. “The secret to scaling these efforts is recognizing and uplifting those who have created a virtuous cycle—where restoring nature strengthens local livelihoods, and in turn, enables even greater restoration. The RestorLife Awards celebrate these champions, ensuring their successes inspire and accelerate global restoration efforts.”

Winners were selected by an independent evaluation committee with expertise in restoration science, sustainable business, and community development, including representatives from Restor, the UNCCD, and the G20 Global Land Initiative. Projects were evaluated based on environmental impact, community engagement, innovation, and potential to scale. 

What the winners say:

We are honored to receive the RestorLife Award 2025 with gratitude and hope. This collective recognition celebrates all who restore the Amazon through science, traditional knowledge, and social justice. It’s a tribute to the hands, voices, and territories that resist and inspire. Together, we make a real difference — and for us, everyone is a winner.

Marcelo Ferronato, President of Ecoporé - Rondônia, Brazil

“We’re honored to receive the RestorLife Award for Responsible Business Leadership. At Terraformation, we believe forests only thrive when biodiversity and communities are at the heart of restoration—and this recognition affirms the power of that mission.”

Damien Kuhn, Chief Forestry Officer of Terraformation - Hawaii, USA

The official awards ceremony will take place at Ramsar COP15 in Zimbabwe in July 2025, where both winners will present their work and receive the award. 

Discover the full stories behind this year’s winners: https://about.restor.eco/campaign/restorlife-2025 

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About Restor:

Creating a world where every action positively impacts nature. Restor is an open-data, geospatial platform that offers nature stewards access to the latest ecological science for impact storytelling. With over 200,000 sites, Restor is the largest network of community-led restoration and conservation efforts across the globe. Through Restor, governments, companies, impact funders, and financial institutions can connect and contribute to the regenerative use of the land we all depend on. 

Visit Restor and sign up today, and view our trailer.

Contact details:
Restor Communications
media@restor.eco

About G20 Global Land Initiative:

The ambition of the G20 Global Initiative on Reducing Land Degradation and Enhancing Conservation of Terrestrial Habitats (G20 Global Land Initiative) is to scale land restoration in all terrestrial ecosystems to achieve a 50 percent reduction in degraded land by 2040. The Initiative, which was launched in 2020, under the G20’s Saudi Arabia Presidency, is hosted by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification based in Bonn, Germany.

Visit g20land.org and sign up today, and follow us on @g20landinitiative. 

Contact details:
Communications Coordinator
UNCCD G20 GLI
wwischnewski@unccd.int