UN calls for deeper cooperation on land restoration

Pressure on fighting land degradation and drought globally is intensifying despite progress made over the past decades, the chief scientist of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification has said.

Barron Joseph Orr called for intensified international cooperation in land restoration to aid resilience, biodiversity and long-term food security as the world marked Desertification and Drought Day on Wednesday.

"There is much greater awareness today that land degradation and drought are systemic global risks affecting not only the environment, but food security, water availability, economies, livelihoods and stability as well," Orr said, adding more than 130 countries have now set voluntary land restoration targets under the UNCCD, and over 70 countries have developed national drought plans — compared to only a handful a decade ago.

At the same time, the pressures on land are intensifying, as droughts have increased by nearly one-third since 2000, while up to 40 percent of the world's land is already degraded. This has put increasing risks on global food security and biodiversity, he said.

Orr said rangelands are particularly important, as they cover more than half of the Earth's land surface and support around 2 billion people, but up to half of them are degraded or at risk.

"International cooperation is becoming increasingly important as drought risks intensify globally, making healthy land a key factor in building community and ecosystem resilience," he said, highlighting China's experiences in combating desertification and drought.

"Experiences from China, as from many countries investing in large-scale restoration, highlight both the opportunities and the complexity of combating desertification over the long term," he said.

"Scientific evidence globally shows that restoring degraded land requires sustained investment, long-term planning, and approaches adapted to local ecosystems and climate conditions."

"China has been a leader in moving beyond local projects to integrated restoration across landscapes with careful consideration of the underlying economics including links to sustainable supply chains. This significantly increases both the impact of restoration investments and their longer-term sustainability."

In dryland regions around the world, including in Asia and Africa, there is growing interest in practical experiences related to soil conservation, vegetation recovery, sustainable land and water management and drought resilience. At the same time, restoration outcomes always need to be considered in the context of local environmental realities, including water availability, biodiversity and long-term ecosystem health, Orr said.

"Many regions in Africa and Asia are facing similar challenges linked to drought, land degradation and increasing water stress. Scientific cooperation and knowledge exchange can therefore play an important role in helping countries strengthen resilience in dryland ecosystems," he said.

This can include sharing experience on drought monitoring, sustainable land management, restoration techniques and approaches to managing rangelands and agricultural systems under increasingly variable climate conditions, he said.

"China's advances in what is commonly known as 'big data' and 'geographic artificial intelligence' are making contributions to the efforts of countries in and beyond Asia. What is essential is that solutions that may have originated in China are adapted locally, because drylands are highly diverse ecosystems with different environmental and social realities."