Land, as we know it, has been a central component of the sustenance of life. Before life on land arose billions of years ago, it was a hostile environment unsuitable to harbour life. However, through the passage of billions of years of time, the land has changed and adapted to make the Earth a kingdom of biological diversity and a thriving host for life.

The United Nations defines land as “a delineable or precisely describable area of the Earth’s terrestrial surface, encompassing all attributes of the biosphere.” In accordance with that, the land resource also encapsulates all the complex interactions between biotic-biotic components, biotic-abiotic components, and even the abiotic-abiotic components that are part of the numerous ecosystems that occur on Earth. Humans, as one of the most successful species on Earth, are deeply connected to land resources in terms of culture, economy, industry, agriculture, and other aspects of civilization. The theme for this year’s World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is “United for Land. Our Legacy. Our Future,” which explores the duty we have as caretakers of the Earth to protect, preserve, and sustainably utilise the land resources in order to pass them on to future generations. 

The Origin of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

The 1992 Rio Convention identified desertification and loss of biodiversity as the greatest challenges to the sustainable development of land. Two years later, in 1994, the General Assembly established the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which stands as the sole legally binding international agreement that links the environment and its development with sustainable land management. At this convention, it was declared that June 17th would be recognized as “World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.”. 

Later, in 2007 it was decided to recognize 2010-2020 as the United Nations Decade for Deserts and the fight against Desertification, a decision led by the UNCCD. The 197 parties of the UNCCD out of which 169 are affected by desertification work together to bring about strategies to restore land and soil productivity and mitigate the effects of droughts in dry lands. Around 70 drought-prone countries have been provided with the assistance and support of the UNCCD and its partners to develop national action plans to reduce drought disasters since 2017. The Global Observance for Desertification and Drought Day 2024 is hosted by the Government of Germany on the 17th of June in the city of Bonn. This year marks the 30th Anniversary for the UNCCD. The UNCCD 2018-2030 Strategic Framework focuses on five strategic objectives, which include improving the condition of affected populations and  ecosystems, mitigating and adapting to effects of drought to increase the resilience of vulnerable ecosystems and effectively implementing the UNCCD.

Current Impact of Land Degradation

Desertification and the loss of fertile land significantly affect biodiversity, eco-safety, poverty eradication, socio-economic stability, and sustainable development worldwide. Hence, it is understood that this is a global issue affecting millions of human populations and the ecosystems of the Earth. According to recent reports from the United Nations, about 50 million people will be displaced in the next ten years owing to the loss of suitable land. However, it is not a new issue in the world. Many early populations and empires have collapsed or been completely wiped off due to the effects of drought and desertification. Now, the pace of degradation of arable land has been estimated to be 30 to 3 times the historical rate. Recent statistics show that around two billion people rely on dry land ecosystems, of which 90% are from developing countries. Overpopulation further adds to the collection of land-related issues, leading to a lack of adequate resources to support and sustain communities. These issues eventually lead to a spiral of collapse for underdeveloped countries and underdeveloped regions of developing countries.

Actions to Combat Desertification

The SDG15 of the United Nations aims to protect and restore terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation and stop biodiversity loss.

Some actions that could help to reduce desertification include:

  • Reforestation and tree regeneration,
  • Implementing water management practices
  • Buttressing the soil through the use of sand fences, shelterbelts, woodlots and windbreaks.
  • Enrichment and hyper-fertilisation of soil through planting.

As youth leading the movement of change, we too can take action to restore our land resources and continue to utilise them sustainably.

Written by:

Malith Tennakoon

3rd Year Undergraduate

Zoology Honours

Faculty of Science

University of Colombo.

References:

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