Published on March 7, 2014
Land Degradation Desertification and Drought issues Publc Lecture Windhoek, 25 July 2013 What lasting Solutions? Luc GNACADJA Executive Secretary Luc GNACADJA Executive Secretary United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
Outline 1). Land as a stategic commodity in the Nexus of Poverty-Food-Energy-Water Land Degradation Desertification and Drought issues 2). Understanding Land degradation, Desertification and Drought 3). The UNCCD from Rio Summit (1992) to Rio+20 4). Land-degradation neutral world: a holistic framework for lasting solutions? 5). The reasons for hope Luc GNACADJA Executive Secretary United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
Estimated Cropland expansion by 2030 for food, feed and fuel demand 175 to 220 Mha Land is a strategic commodity in the nexus issuesMha/year Urbanization: 3 of: Sustainable Poverty - Food & Water security - Energy access Land & Sustainability ? 70% rural Development Poverty Food security 80% hunger rural +50% in 2030 + 120 million ha in 2030 +45% Energy Water Land/Soil Water in Agric 70% in 2030 +30% Deforestation: 70 to 80 % of expansion of cropland expansion
Land: a scarce resource & a global Common Water 3% 9% 14% Mountains, deserts, ice 75% Rocky, wet, hot, infertile areas, roads or cities Arable land
Land Degradation/Desertification: Earth’s skin disease Desertification? Deforestation Overgrazing Agriculture The Causes of Land Degradation/Desertification BioIndustries
The legacy of DLDD q q q 14% 9% 3% q q q q q LD is accelerating: Total land area degraded 15% in 1991 to 25% in 2011 More than 50% of agricultural moderately to severely degraded LD directly affects 1,5 billion people globally (2008) 24 billionWater of fertile soil lost/year due to tons cropland erosion 12 million ha/Year lost due to drought and Mountains, desertification ice deserts, 75% Six million km2 of drylands bear a legacy of Rocky, desertification wet, hot, infertile Biodiversity: 27,000 species lost each year due areas, roads to Land Degradation (LD) or cities 70 to 80 % of expansion of cropland leads to deforestation
Africa & DLDD issues § Dry lands (including arid, semi-‐arid or sub-‐humid areas) account for: § 43% of land area § 50% of popula@on § 75% of agriculture land § About 75% of Africa’s poor (living on less than $1.25/day) are in countries with dry land populaEon > 25% of total populaEon Africa’s Land: § Highest producEvity Gap & § Highest Poverty rate Source: (CGIAR) -‐ Zomer et al. (2007) and Zomer et al. (2008) based on WorldClim
Desertification Risk & Vulnerability in Africa 2/3 of Africa’s arable land under use could be lost by 2025 if the trend of Desertification and Land Degradation continues (FAO 2009) Desertification Vulnerability in Africa Published in: P.F. Reich, S.T. Numbem, R.A. Almaraz and H. Eswaran , 2001 Risk of human-induced desertification
DLDD & Linkages to other global issues Extreme Poverty Increased emissions of GHG Food insecurity & Hunger Increased to Drought & Water stress Biodiversity Loss Environ. induced Instability & Deforestation Crises Migrations DLDD has far-reaching impacts/conseguences
DLDD & Gender Adult female literacy declining with increasing levels of aridity in West Africa
Child mortality increasing with land degradation
Drylands & Conflicts
Drought Disasters Map of drought repartition were we can see that Africa, India, United states, Australia are the most affected by drought. For example Africa was exposed in some parts to up to nine droughts in the time span
Sahel: Seasonal Temperature trends
Sahel Hotpots of change
Namibia: Drought & Food insecurity
Drought potential worldwide 2000-2098 Source : University Corporation for Atmospheric Research - http://www2.ucar.edu/news/2904/climate-change-drought-may-threaten-much-globe-within-decades
Rio Summit 1992 Addressing drylands specific challenges: The UNCCD " Environment & Development Convention " Entered into force on 26 December 1996 " Ratified by 195 Parties " 5 geographical Annexes (RAPs and SRAPs) " 113 National Action Programmes (NAPs) " 168 Affected Parties (from 110)
Challenges in implementing the UNCCD q Low political recognition & mainstreaming q Weak scientific basis q Lack of understanding of the impacts of Desertification/Land Degradation q Inadequate financing
Drylands: Assumptions & Real Value Assumptions & Misperceptions q q q q Drylands are waste lands, marginal lands with low productivity & low adaptive capacity Where poverty is inevitable Little contribution to national prosperity Cannot yield good return to investments The real value of Drylands " +1/3 of the world land mass and population " 44% of the World’s food production system " 50% of the World’s livestock " Dry forest made 42% of the earth's tropical and subtropical open or closed forests " Home to the world’s largest diversity of mammals
The UNCCD Strategy: A framework for result-based implementation UNCCD To generate Global Benefits 3 2 To improve the Conditions of affected Ecosystems 1 To improve the Livelihood of Affected Populations To mobilize resources through building effective partnerships among all stakeholders *SLM = Sustainable Land Management
UNCCD Cost of Action Vs Inaction The Economics of LD
Major policy development from Rio+20 Summit The Vision of a LandDegradation Neutral World A holistic framework for lasting solutions to DLDD issues United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
DLDD in “The Future We Want” Outcomes (para 205-209) 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) DLDD are challenges of a global dimension and continue to pose serious challenges to the sustainable development of all countries Strive to achieve a land-degradation neutral world Monitor land degradation globally and restore restore degraded (in drylands) in order to contribute to sustainable development and poverty eradication To improve science and science-policy interface to addresss DLDD Improve cooperation for information sharing and early warning systems
Global politics of responsibility for land stewardship In the context of the Post-2015 Global Dev. Agenda l A SDG on land q ZNLD by 2030 q ZNFD by 2030 q NDMP by 2020 l Enhancing Human security: invest to improve the underperforming assets of the poor q Eradicating Poverty q Ensuring Food-Water-Energy security
Poverty eradication Improving livelihood through pro-poor policies on Sustainable Land & Water Management Food Security Preserving the resource base for food security – Land productivity/Soil fertility improvement at the core of all long term strategies Drought & Water stress Improving water availability & quality through sustainable land & water management Biodiversity Climate change The Vision of a LDNW Biodiversity conservation Land is a win-win context An integrated framework through improvement of for adaptation, mitigation land ecosystems’ for Landscape approach & resilience building conditions Avoided Deforestation SLM & Restoration of degraded Lands as an alternative to Deforestation Bio Energies Opportunities for Bio energies through biomass production Avoiding environ. Forced Migrations Changing the “DegradeAbandon-Migrate” or DAM Paradigm
Holistic Management and Ecological Restoration The Reasons for Hope Luc GNACADJA Executive Secretary United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
1955 1975 2005
Farmer-managed natural regeneration in Niger l l l l l l 5,000,000 ha re-greened in 20 years (only labour for protection, investment in extension, no recurrent costs to governments) 200 million new trees additional cereal production/year: 500,000 ton 2.5 million people fed 1.25 million rural households involved & Resilient to climatic shocks Challenges for scaling up and dissemination l Secure Land tenure and Land use rights l Public investments on infrastructures l Legislation
Ecological Restoration: Loess Plateau, China
Source: World Resources Institute, South Dakota State University, the IUCN and the Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration - http:// www.wri.org/map/global-map-forest-landscape-restoration-opportunities
“We also need to reward those who make drylands productive, so they will prosper and others will seek to emulate their example” Ban Ki-moon, on 17 June 2011
A Historical Fact Mankind is a Desert-making Species Thank you for taking action
Drought: from crises management to preparedness & risk management
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