17th June is the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

Ranjan K Baruah

We live in a region where we have not seen that deserts else we would have experienced many challenges. The recent climate change has affected all of us including and we have many questions in front of us including our lands and its future. We should know that every second, an equivalent of four football fields of healthy land becomes degraded, adding up to a total of 100 million hectares each year. Each USD invested in land restoration can yield up to 30 USD in return. In many countries affected by desertification, land degradation and drought, agriculture represents a high share of economic revenue.

We need to understand about droughts and desertification. Although desertification can include the encroachment of sand dunes on land, it doesn’t refer to the advance of deserts. Rather, it is the persistent degradation of dryland ecosystems by climate change and mainly human activities: unsustainable farming that depletes the nutrients in the soil, mining, overgrazing (animals eat away grasses and erode topsoil with their hooves) and clear-cutting of land, when the tree and plant cover that binds the soil is removed. It occurs when trees and bushes are stripped away for fuelwood and timber, or to clear land for cultivation.

We should know that desertification is a global issue, with serious implications worldwide for biodiversity, eco-safety, poverty eradication, socio-economic stability and sustainable development. There are no doubts that drylands are already fragile. As they become degraded, the impact on people, livestock and environment can be devastating. Some 50 million people may be displaced within the next 10 years as a result of desertification.

The issue of desertification is not new though — it played a significant role in human history, contributing to the collapse of several large empires, and the displacement of local populations. But today, the pace of arable land degradation is estimated at 30 to 35 times the historical rate. Desertification, along with climate change and the loss of biodiversity were identified as the greatest challenges to sustainable development during the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.

In 1994, the General Assembly of United Nations established the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management, and declared 17 June "World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought" by its resolution A/RES/49/115. This year, the theme of the Desertification and Drought Day “United for Land. Our Legacy. Our Future” spotlights the future of land stewardship — our most precious resource to ensure the stability and prosperity of billions of people around the world.

UNCCD's 197 parties (169 affected by desertification) work together to maintain and restore land and soil productivity, and to mitigate the effects of drought in drylands — the arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas, where some of the most vulnerable ecosystems and peoples can be found. Since 2017, the UNCCD and its partners have supported about 70 drought-prone countries to develop national action plans to reduce drought disasters.

All of us may not take interest in this area as we may think that our land and soil are safe for us but the fact is there are more challenges for us in the days to come. We have seen drought-like situations in our region too.  We should remember that healthy land not only provides us with almost 95% of our food but so much more: it clothes and shelters us, provides jobs and livelihoods, and protects us from the worsening droughts, floods and wildfires.

The Secretary-General of the UN in his message said that “the security, prosperity and health of billions of people rely on thriving lands supporting lives, livelihoods and ecosystems but we’re vandalising the earth that sustains us. Every second, around four football fields of healthy land are degraded.”  “Together, let’s sow the seeds for a thriving future – for nature and humanity”, he added.

Young people have to take a major role in combating desertification. Of the world’s 8 billion inhabitants, over one billion of young people under the age of 25 years live in developing countries, particularly in regions directly dependent on land and natural resources for sustenance. We have to create jobs and employment opportunities for our young people so that they take up a sustainable lifestyle and do not damage our nature or eco system.

Young people must get access to eco-entrepreneurship opportunities and at the same time to scale up best practices which helps in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Together we can make a difference and we need to take action for the same. Each and every positive step is counted for the planet and let us stand united to safeguard our land from degradation.