World Day to Combat Desertification
Maison de la Paix, Graduate Institute
Geneva, 17 June 2014
UNCCD and
ecosystem-based
adaptation
United Nations Convention
to Combat Desertification
Subject
Outline
Outline
 What is desertification and how does desertification affect everyone?
 What is the World Day to Combat Desertification?
 What are dryland ecosystems and why are they important?
 What is ecosystem-based adaptation and how does it work in
practice?
 Supporting a future of ecosystem-based adaptation.
Subject
3/12
What is desertification and how does
desertification affect everyone?
Subject
4/12
What is desertification and how does
desertification affect everyone?
 Drylands regions are some of the most insecure places in the world,
and in some cases their political instability can destabilize entire
regions. While the number of climate related migrations is debated, it
is estimated that by 2020 some 60 million people will migrate from
affected areas in sub-Saharan Africa towards Northern Africa and
Europe.
 Desertification and land degradation are not just problems of the very
poor. Areas at risk of and/or affected by desertification can be found
in more than 110 countries: the global economic losses from
desertification and land degradation amount to approximately USD 42
billion each year. If food production in the drylands collapses, food
prices worldwide will skyrocket.
Subject
5/12
What is the World Day to Combat Desertification?
 In 1995, the General Assembly of the United Nations designated 17
June as the WDCD to raise awareness about the threats and
consequences of desertification and drought. But the goal of the day
is not only to talk about the problems, but also the solutions.
 The theme of this year’s observance is ecosystem-based adaptation.
We chose this theme to increase awareness about the potential of
ecosystem-based adaptation as a strategy for coping with the impacts
of climate change, especially in the drylands.
Subject
6/12
What are dryland ecosystems and why are they
important?
Subject
7/12
What is ecosystem-based adaptation and how
does it work in practice?
 Ecosystems are naturally adaptable and resilient to external factors,
but vulnerable to climate change: climatic impacts may be too severe
for an ecosystem to withstand them; the way we use the ecosystems
increases their vulnerability to climate change.
 Adaptation refers to actions taken to ensure that negative impacts of
climate change are prevented or minimized and that both people and
ecosystems are equipped to withstand potential damage.
 A commonly used definition: Sustainably managing, conserving and
restoring ecosystems (…) to provide the services that allow people to
adapt to climate change (IUCN).
Subject
8/12
What is ecosystem-based adaptation and how
does it work in practice?
Subject
9/12
What is ecosystem-based adaptation and how
does it work in practice?
Subject
10/12
What is ecosystem-based adaptation and how
does it work in practice?
 Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), by cultivating buried
root systems or "underground forests," in degraded landscapes, over
time restoring land productivity (West Africa);
 Holistic Landscape Approach, by empowering local populations to care
for wastelands and turning them into common rangelands (India);
 Integrated Landscape Approach, by mobilizing farmers and small land
holders to restore vital watersheds (Mexico).
Subject
11/12
Supporting a future of ecosystem-based adaptation
 Encourage ecosystem-based adaption in the drylands and beyond;
 Rehabilitate degraded land to increase climate change resilience;
 Build technical and institutional capacity for sustainable land
management;
 Create national and sub-national policies for drought mitigation and
prevention;
 Increase recognition of the role of ecosystem-based adaptation,
especially in the drylands, within the UNFCCC and CBD
intergovernmental processes;
 Include land management-related indicators and targets in the Post2015 and Sustainable Development Goals.
Thanks