In 2015, as a Member of the United Nations, Australia adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Underpinning the Agenda are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), supported by 169 targets and accompanying indicators, provide a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.
The period 2021-2030 has been identified as a Decade of Action to deliver the Global SDGs. While water is specific to SDGs 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and 14 (Life Below Water), water quality, quantity, availability and security underpin each and every one of the Goals.
The same timeframe to 2030 has also been named as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, calling for the protection and revival of ecosystems all around the world, for the benefit of people and nature. Aquatic ecosystems have experienced significant loss of habitat and biodiversity over the past 50 years. Freshwater habitats and species have been particularly impacted, with global wetlands vanishing three times faster than forests; and freshwater vertebrate populations declining more than twice as steeply as terrestrial or marine populations.
Achieving the SDGs and delivering on the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration are clearly and closely linked. The Goyder Institute for Water Research is committed to contributing to the global effort to successfully deliver the SDGs and achieve the aims of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration by 2030.
Current and future research projects delivered by the Goyder Institute will align with the relevant SDGs and strategic actions for ecosystem restoration to help achieve the SDGs across local, State, national and international scales. This alignment will be showcased through our communications, our website and research outputs, so watch this space!
