Impact of Land degradation, desertification and drought on
sustainable development of LLDCs
NK, NYLO
DLDD = Desertification Land Degradation & Drought
United Nations Convention
to Combat Desertification
Areas affected by desertification
and land degradation
Desertification affects over 40% of total world land area
Africa: Two thirds drylands, 73 % is moderately or severely affected
Asia: One third is drylands, 71% affected, All Pacific islands states
face some sort of land degradation
North America proportion of drylands is 74%
Five European Union countries are affected
Latin America and the Caribbean: one fourth drylands, 75%
affected
110 countries have drylands that are potentially at risk.
Over 250 million people are directly affected and
One billion under threat or at risk
Global desertification costs: US$42 Billion;
Land is a finite resource
DLDD: Some facts & figures
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Sustainable
Development
Food
Energy
Water
Forest
Land
Cli
DLDD
B
More than 50% of agricultural
moderately to severely degraded
LD directly affects 1,5 billion people
globally
75 billion tons of fertile soil
disappear/year
12 million ha/Year lost due to drought
and desertification
Six million km2 of drylands bear a
legacy of desertification
Biodiversity: 27,000 species lost each
year due to LD
“Improved management of the world’s
land (including terrestrial carbon)
represents 1/3rd of the overall global
abatement potential in 2030
Main Causes of Desertification/land
degradation

Human activity :over cultivation, over grazing
Deforestation
Poor agricultural practices

Drought and Climate Change


Extreme
Poverty
Food insecurity
& Hunger
Increased
emissions of
GHG
Deforestation
Increased
to Drought &
Water stress
Biodiversity
Loss
Instability &
Crises
Migrations
DLDD has far-reaching impacts
Drylands and Conflicts
(Cf. “Common Wealth” by J. Sachs)
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
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“Future We Want”
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Desertification, land degradation and drought
205. We recognize the economic and social significance of good land management,
including soil, particularly its contribution to economic growth, biodiversity,
sustainable agriculture and food security, eradicating poverty, the empowerment of
women, addressing climate change and improving water availability. We stress that
desertification, land degradation and drought are challenges of a global dimension
and continue to pose serious challenges to the sustainable development of all
countries, in particular developing countries. We also stress the particular challenges
this poses for Africa, the least developed countries and the landlocked developing
countries. In this regard, we express deep concern for the devastating consequences
of cyclical drought and famine in Africa, in particular in the Horn of Africa and the
Sahel region, and call for urgent action through short-, medium- and long-term
measures at all levels.
206. We recognize the need for urgent action to reverse land degradation. In view of
this, we will strive to achieve a land-degradation neutral world in the context of
sustainable development. This should act to catalyse financial resources from a
range of public and private sources.
U
Cost of Action Vs Inaction
The Economics of Land Degradation
Intervention Options for
ZNLD
Type 1 - High degradation trend
or highly degraded lands: 25%
Rehabilitate if economically
feasible; mitigate where
degrading trends are high
Type 2 - Moderate degradation
trend in slightly or moderately
degraded land: 8%
Introduce measure to mitigate
degradation
Type 3 - Stable land, slightly or
moderately degraded: 36%
Preventive interventions
Type 4 - Improving lands: 10%
Reinforcement of enabling
conditions which foster SLM
Source FAO SOLAW 2011
Source: W
and the Gl
http://www
Food Security
Poverty eradication
Preserving the resource base
for food security - Land
productivity/Soil fertility
improvement at the core of all
long term strategies
Improving livelihood through
pro-poor policies on
Sustainable Land & Water
Management
Climate change
Holistic Managemt
Sust. Land Management &
Restoration of degraded
Lands as an alternative to
Deforestation
Improving water availability &
quality through sustainable
land & water management
Biodiversity
Land is a win-win context for
adaptation, mitigation &
resilience building
Avoided
Deforestation
Drought &
Water stress
Bio Energies
Opportunities for Bio
energies through biomass
production
Biodiversity conservation
through improvement of land
ecosystems’ conditions
Avoiding Forced
Migrations
Changing the DAM paradigm
“Degrade-Abandon-Migrate”
Thank you
"If you will not fight for right when you can easily win
without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory is
sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment
when you will have to fight with all the odds against you
and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even
be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no
hope of victory…”.