Happy New Year! I want to begin this column by acknowledging how this year’s holidays coincided with a storm surge that battered our shoreline, including the Santa Cruz Wharf and the Santa Cruz Harbor. Though the storm surge has impacted many people, the O’Neill Sea Odyssey offices and classrooms are intact, as is the catamaran that acts as our ocean classroom. These climate-related impacts on our communities are becoming more frequent and concerning, I will share more about the storm surge and the impacts soon.

As we begin 2025, I would like to draw your attention to a global movement to help restore the natural world as an essential element in mitigating the impacts of our changing climate. Individuals, scientists and organizations are collaborating worldwide and in our local communities to restore nature’s protection for our coastlines, forests, farmlands and watersheds. The restoration and preservation of the natural world require each of us to get involved in making significant strides to ensure the long-term health of our planet. The environment needs each of us.

Globally, the United Nations Environment Program is working to provide people with “actionable steps to tackle the nature crisis. Preventing, halting, and reversing the decline of nature is not just urgent — it’s essential.” According to the U.N. website, “Ecosystems support all life on Earth. The healthier our ecosystems are, the healthier the planet — and its people.” However, ecosystems worldwide are being degraded, and one million species are facing extinction. The U.N. Decade of Ecosystem Restoration “aims to prevent, halt, and reverse the degradation of ecosystems on every continent and in every ocean.” The U.N. environmental theme for 2025 is “Our Land. Our Future. We are #GenerationRestoration.”On a national level, the Biden-Harris administration made some significant strides to promote and support nature restoration efforts through the “30×30” campaign, a commitment to restore and conserve 30% of U.S. oceans by 2030 that includes plans to harness the power of the ocean to fight the climate crisis. Other strategies include preserving and restoring wildlife corridors, funding to increase outdoor access for all, supporting tribal conservation, reducing wildfire risk and many other conservation-focused restoration elements. Looking at the U.N. resources around the world, to see people working across borders to address many of the same issues we face in the Monterey Bay region, gives me hope.

I invite you to look at the United Nations Environment Program website to learn more about international alliances and building awareness. Reading more about the diverse environmental projects happening worldwide inspires me because it serves as a reminder that we are all connected. By working together or individually, we can always do something to improve the planet’s health. Each positive action, anywhere in the world, benefits all of us. Right now is the time for action, and we each have a role to play.

Here are 10 actions in the U.N. Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Strategy:

1. Empower a global movement.

2. Finance restoration on the ground.

3. Set the right incentives.

4. Celebrate leadership.

5. Shift behaviors.

6. Invest in research.

7. Build up capacity.

8. Celebrate a culture of restoration.

9. Build up the next generation.

10. Listen and learn.

The U.N. Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is a chance to revive the natural world that supports us all. Environmental restoration can help to end poverty, combat climate change and prevent a mass extinction. You can participate in multiple action-oriented events with local environmental nonprofits. One local organization leading the way is the Coastal Watershed Council, which works with volunteers to help restore the health of the San Lorenzo River. The council regularly hosts community events to restore native plants and steward the health of the San Lorenzo River. Several great organizations are committed to projects restoring nature in our region that will benefit people and biodiversity for future generations.

Please check their websites for details at coastal-watershed.org.

As we move into a new year, I look forward to highlighting local opportunities that also support the United Nations’ “Action Days.” Scientists around the world emphasize that the next few years will count most in the fight to avert a climate crisis and the loss of millions of species. The U.N. Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is already nearly halfway over, spanning from 2021 through 2030 — 10 years to restore our planet, with 10 actions that count every single day. Embracing this concept as we move into 2025 seems a perfect way to celebrate our commitment and connection to our ocean backyard.

Tracey Weiss is the executive director of the O’Neill Sea Odyssey. She is working to support the residents of Santa Cruz County with the information that allows them to connect, impact and understand the ocean ecosystem and the regional environment we call home. She can be reached at osoexecdirector@oneillseaodyssey.org.