Habitat Suitability Modelling and Nature-Based Solutions: An Efficient Combination to Realise the Targets of Bonn Challenge and SDGs in South Asia

South Asia supports exceptional biodiversity elements despite facing land degradation, as it includes some of the worst-affected countries with huge economic losses annually. Increasing urbanisation, mining, industrialisation, ground water dependent agriculture, natural disasters and climate change are leading to land degradation in the region. Land degradation has contributed to enhanced food insecurity and poverty that will further worsen in future due to climate change. Realising the targets of global policy initiative of Bonn Challenge will support UN decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030) for restoration of 150 M ha of degraded lands by 2020 and 350 M ha by 2030. Restored landscapes under Bonn Challenge are biodiverse, productive, carbon-rich and climate-resilient regions fulfilling SDGs 1, 2, 6, 13, 14 and 15 and support Intended Nationally Determined Targets (INDCs) under Paris COP, 2015. For increasing cooperation in South Asia for increasing landscape restoration, this chapter proposes an effective approach that helps address restoration challenges in diverse agro-climatic zones of South Asia. The approach endorses a habitat suitability modelling tool for mapping suitable niches and selecting important species, following the natural course of succession for reducing the planning time for landscape restoration. Situation and target-based applications of appropriate nature-based solutions (NbS) that support livelihood for the local community can help in poverty alleviation and skill development while overcoming restoration challenges.