This year’s World Day to Combat Desertification (2016 WDCD) advocates for the importance of inclusive cooperation to restore and rehabilitate degraded land and contribute towards achieving the overall Sustainable Development Goals. 2016 WDCD also has a slogan ‘Protect Earth. Restore Lake. Engage People’.
The global observance event on Friday 17 June 2016 will be held in Beijing, China, hosted by the State Forestry Administration of China (SFA). In 2013, China embarked on the new development strategy, “The Belt and Road,” aiming to strengthen cooperation among countries primarily in Eurasia. Since then, it has been promoting green and low-carbon infrastructure construction in cooperation with the neighbouring countries connected by the historic Silk Road. By organizing the global observance in China, the 2016 WDCD will demonstrate how Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) can be a critical element for achieving other sustainable development goals, especially for promotion of inclusive and sustainable economic growth. At the global observance, the host country will announce the “One Belt and One Road Joint Action to Combating Desertification Initiative” together with interested countries and stakeholders.
Land is a major carbon sink and hence a centre of discussion regarding climate change. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15 and its target 15.3 are built on the LDN concept that emphasizes the need to address land degradation, through restoration, mitigation and sustainable land management (UNCCD, 2012). SDG target 15.3 states: “By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world”.
SDG Target 15.3 has therefore become a strong vehicle for driving UNCCD implementation, while at the same time contributing to other SDGs, including those relating to climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, food and water security, disaster risk reduction, and poverty.
Hence, according to the United Nations, inclusive cooperation among all actors is key for making Land Degradation Neutrality a fundamental solution for achieving SDGs. The slogan, “Protect Earth. Restore Land. Engage People.” addresses the importance of comprehensive participation and cooperation in working towards achieving LDN.
The objective of LDN is to maintain or even improve the amount of healthy and productive land resources over time and in line with national sustainable development priorities. LDN is a target that can be implemented at local, national and even regional scales; at the heart of LDN are Sustainable Land Management (SLM) practices that help close yield gaps and enhance the resilience of land resources and communities that directly depend on them while avoiding further degradation.
Protecting the Earth
LDN aims to maintain and improve the productivity of land resources by sustainably managing and restoring soil, water and biodiversity assets, while at the same time contributing to poverty reduction, food and water security, and climate change adaptation and mitigation.
As such, achieving LDN comes with immense benefits as it secures protection of Africa’s wildlife from habitat destruction, illegal activities and loss of fragile ecosystems. In turn this natural heritage has immense contribution to these economies in terms of food security and water security, resilient communities and strong economic bedrock based on the unique tourism options that promise to contribute sustainably to national incomes of countries like Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania.
LDN also secures that many African countries can ably contribute towards Low Emission Development strategies through conservation of biomass, forest, and other forms as part of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Article 4.19 of the Paris Agreement calls on all Parties, including Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) to strive to formulate and communicate Low Development Strategies by 2020
Achieving LDN equally contributes to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. For example, under Strategic Goal B (Reduce the direct pressures on biodiversity and promote sustainable use), by 2020, the rate of loss of all natural habitats, including forests, is at least halved and where feasible brought close to zero, and degradation and fragmentation is significantly reduced under Target 5; By 2020 areas under agriculture, aquaculture and forestry are managed sustainably, ensuring conservation of biodiversity under Target 7.
Restoring Land
A LDN approach upholds two complementary pathways of action -- sustainable land management and ecosystem restoration -- which in tandem will help achieve LDN. The restoration of natural and semi-natural areas is often key to maintaining the necessary level of ecosystem services for working landscapes as well as urban areas.
The Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel Initiative (GGWSSI) to stretch from West to Eastern Africa covering 7,000 kilometres aims to push back land degradation and desertification in the Sahel and Sahara through increased vegetation. This will also boost food security, and help local communities to adapt to climate change. According to GGWSSI, every year, 24 billion tons of fertile soils are lost to us from erosion while 12 million hectares of land are degraded through drought and the steady encroachment of desert. With every hectare of land we lose to drought or the desert, we also lose tons of potential grain which makes life even more of an ordeal for the 1.5 billion people worldwide who make their living off degraded land.
Engaging People
The key principle of LDN is that the people at a grassroots level, whose everyday decisions and actions affect the condition of land and water resources, have to be involved in designing and implementing measures to halt and reverse land degradation.
For many countries in Africa, land defines livelihoods as it is the source of water (catchment protection) that supports fisheries, agriculture and direct supplies for domestic and commercial uses. Therefore achieving LDN in Africa is equivalent to building resilience in communities and developing sustainable communities for millions that are vulnerable to the increasing impacts of desertification and drought.
In Tanzania for example, the rebirth of the traditional Ngitili management system led to the restoration of between 350,000 and 500,000 hectares of woodland in the period from 1986 to 2001 (UNCCD, 2012). This benefited over 800 villages with an economic value of US$14 per person per month from the integration of SLM and restoration activities at all scales - from small family plots to larger community forests. By focusing on local initiatives (with a range of land uses) and integrated planning at larger scales, nations can increase the economic and ecological feasibility of achieving LDN.
It is therefore important that, more bilateral and multilateral efforts be mobilised to achieve LDN in Africa, where on-going voluntary actions in degraded and dryland areas within these countries by Governments and communities need to be boosted. From these, we stand not to leave anyone behind as multiple benefits are gained that range from reducing stress on fragile landscapes to securing sustainable rural livelihoods for many young people. Above all, achieving LDN means that the global fraternity will also be fulfilling other global commitments on climate change, biodiversity conservation, land and water resources management at the same time.
The global observance event on Friday 17 June 2016 will be held in Beijing, China, hosted by the State Forestry Administration of China (SFA). In 2013, China embarked on the new development strategy, “The Belt and Road,” aiming to strengthen cooperation among countries primarily in Eurasia. Since then, it has been promoting green and low-carbon infrastructure construction in cooperation with the neighbouring countries connected by the historic Silk Road. By organizing the global observance in China, the 2016 WDCD will demonstrate how Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) can be a critical element for achieving other sustainable development goals, especially for promotion of inclusive and sustainable economic growth. At the global observance, the host country will announce the “One Belt and One Road Joint Action to Combating Desertification Initiative” together with interested countries and stakeholders.
Land is a major carbon sink and hence a centre of discussion regarding climate change. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15 and its target 15.3 are built on the LDN concept that emphasizes the need to address land degradation, through restoration, mitigation and sustainable land management (UNCCD, 2012). SDG target 15.3 states: “By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world”.
SDG Target 15.3 has therefore become a strong vehicle for driving UNCCD implementation, while at the same time contributing to other SDGs, including those relating to climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, food and water security, disaster risk reduction, and poverty.
Hence, according to the United Nations, inclusive cooperation among all actors is key for making Land Degradation Neutrality a fundamental solution for achieving SDGs. The slogan, “Protect Earth. Restore Land. Engage People.” addresses the importance of comprehensive participation and cooperation in working towards achieving LDN.
The objective of LDN is to maintain or even improve the amount of healthy and productive land resources over time and in line with national sustainable development priorities. LDN is a target that can be implemented at local, national and even regional scales; at the heart of LDN are Sustainable Land Management (SLM) practices that help close yield gaps and enhance the resilience of land resources and communities that directly depend on them while avoiding further degradation.
Protecting the Earth
LDN aims to maintain and improve the productivity of land resources by sustainably managing and restoring soil, water and biodiversity assets, while at the same time contributing to poverty reduction, food and water security, and climate change adaptation and mitigation.
As such, achieving LDN comes with immense benefits as it secures protection of Africa’s wildlife from habitat destruction, illegal activities and loss of fragile ecosystems. In turn this natural heritage has immense contribution to these economies in terms of food security and water security, resilient communities and strong economic bedrock based on the unique tourism options that promise to contribute sustainably to national incomes of countries like Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania.
LDN also secures that many African countries can ably contribute towards Low Emission Development strategies through conservation of biomass, forest, and other forms as part of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Article 4.19 of the Paris Agreement calls on all Parties, including Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) to strive to formulate and communicate Low Development Strategies by 2020
Achieving LDN equally contributes to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. For example, under Strategic Goal B (Reduce the direct pressures on biodiversity and promote sustainable use), by 2020, the rate of loss of all natural habitats, including forests, is at least halved and where feasible brought close to zero, and degradation and fragmentation is significantly reduced under Target 5; By 2020 areas under agriculture, aquaculture and forestry are managed sustainably, ensuring conservation of biodiversity under Target 7.
Restoring Land
A LDN approach upholds two complementary pathways of action -- sustainable land management and ecosystem restoration -- which in tandem will help achieve LDN. The restoration of natural and semi-natural areas is often key to maintaining the necessary level of ecosystem services for working landscapes as well as urban areas.
The Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel Initiative (GGWSSI) to stretch from West to Eastern Africa covering 7,000 kilometres aims to push back land degradation and desertification in the Sahel and Sahara through increased vegetation. This will also boost food security, and help local communities to adapt to climate change. According to GGWSSI, every year, 24 billion tons of fertile soils are lost to us from erosion while 12 million hectares of land are degraded through drought and the steady encroachment of desert. With every hectare of land we lose to drought or the desert, we also lose tons of potential grain which makes life even more of an ordeal for the 1.5 billion people worldwide who make their living off degraded land.
Engaging People
The key principle of LDN is that the people at a grassroots level, whose everyday decisions and actions affect the condition of land and water resources, have to be involved in designing and implementing measures to halt and reverse land degradation.
For many countries in Africa, land defines livelihoods as it is the source of water (catchment protection) that supports fisheries, agriculture and direct supplies for domestic and commercial uses. Therefore achieving LDN in Africa is equivalent to building resilience in communities and developing sustainable communities for millions that are vulnerable to the increasing impacts of desertification and drought.
In Tanzania for example, the rebirth of the traditional Ngitili management system led to the restoration of between 350,000 and 500,000 hectares of woodland in the period from 1986 to 2001 (UNCCD, 2012). This benefited over 800 villages with an economic value of US$14 per person per month from the integration of SLM and restoration activities at all scales - from small family plots to larger community forests. By focusing on local initiatives (with a range of land uses) and integrated planning at larger scales, nations can increase the economic and ecological feasibility of achieving LDN.
It is therefore important that, more bilateral and multilateral efforts be mobilised to achieve LDN in Africa, where on-going voluntary actions in degraded and dryland areas within these countries by Governments and communities need to be boosted. From these, we stand not to leave anyone behind as multiple benefits are gained that range from reducing stress on fragile landscapes to securing sustainable rural livelihoods for many young people. Above all, achieving LDN means that the global fraternity will also be fulfilling other global commitments on climate change, biodiversity conservation, land and water resources management at the same time.
