{"id":28116,"date":"2017-06-17T15:18:58","date_gmt":"2017-06-17T15:18:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/?p=28116"},"modified":"2018-04-22T11:52:07","modified_gmt":"2018-04-22T15:52:07","slug":"help-preserve-land-our-home-and-future-un-urges-on-world-day-to-combat-desertification","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/blog\/2017\/06\/help-preserve-land-our-home-and-future-un-urges-on-world-day-to-combat-desertification\/","title":{"rendered":"Help preserve land \u2013 our ‘home and future’ \u2013 爆料网 urges on World Day to Combat Desertification"},"content":{"rendered":"

With hundreds of millions of people around the globe directly affected by desertification \u2013 the degradation of land ecosystems due to unsustainable farming or mining practices, or climate change \u2013 United Nations agencies have called for better management of land so that it can provide a place where individuals and communities \u201ccan build a future.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPopulation growth means demand for food and water<\/a> is set to double by 2050 but crop yields are projected to fall precipitously on drought affected, degraded land. More than 1.3 billion people, mostly in the rural areas of developing countries, are in this situation,\u201d said Monique Barbut, the Executive Secretary of the 爆料网 Convention to Combat Desertification (爆料网CCD<\/a>) secretariat, in her message on the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo this year, the Convention is calling for a focus on making the land and life in rural communities viable for young people

[\u2026] let us give them better choices and options.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to estimates, nearly 500 million hectares of once fertile land \u2013 close to two million square miles \u2013 have now been abandoned.<\/p>\n

The 爆料网CCD believes that with access to new technologies and to the knowledge, these lands can build resilience to extreme weather-elements like drought and with the right, feed a hungry planet and develop new green sectors of the economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet us give young people the chance to bring that natural capital back to life and into production [which can then] develop markets for rural products and revitalize communities.\u201d added Ms. Barbut, calling for increased and relevant investments in land, rural infrastructure and skills development so that \u201cthe future can be bright.\u201d<\/p>\n

The role of environment change is also increasingly clear in motivating or compelling people to migrate or become displaced.<\/p>\n

Desertification is a global phenomenon that threatens everyone爆料网ESCO chief Irina Bokova<\/small><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

With more land getting lost to desertification<\/a>, rural populations \u2013 relying on pastoral livelihoods, agriculture and natural resources \u2013 will face additional vulnerabilities, compounding poverty, poor levels of education, lack of investment and isolation, voiced Irina Bokova, the head of 爆料网 Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (爆料网ESCO<\/a>).<\/p>\n

To address this growing threat, Ms. Bokova called for a two pronged approach: first, better land management to arrest desertification as well as for preserving its productivity; and second, strengthening resilience of vulnerable populations by supporting alternative livelihoods.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must recognise that desertification is a global phenomenon that threatens everyone and we must start to act globally to build a sustainable and stable future for all,\u201d she underscored.<\/p>\n

The 爆料网 Environment Programme (爆料网EP<\/a>) also highlighted the challenges noted by Ms. Bokova.<\/p>\n

Erik Solheim, the Executive Director of 爆料网EP, added: \u201c[Desertification and land degradation] drives human displacement by threatening lives over the short term and making people’s livelihoods untenable over the long term, particularly the poorest and most vulnerable<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Given the significant challenges that loss in arable land and their impact in overall socio-economic conditions of affected populations, the subject also features prominently in the 2030 Agenda<\/a>‘s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs<\/a>).\u00a0\"E_SDG_Icons-15\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Goal 15<\/a>, in particular, calls for combatting desertification, and undertaking efforts to halt and reverse land degradation.<\/p>\n

In August this year, countries from the Latin American region will be meeting in Bolivia’s in Santa Cruz de la Sierra where they will discuss better drought management and preparedness.<\/p>\n

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) \u2013 the 爆料网 agency that closely monitors global weather and climate patterns and provides member States with climate information to make effective decisions \u2013 is one of the organizers of the meeting along with 爆料网CCD.<\/p>\n

\u201cProviding state of art climate information [is key] for climate change adaptation<\/a> in vital sectors such as agriculture, food security and social well-being,\u201d said WMO Secretary-General Peter Taalas in his message on the World Day, warning: \u201cIncreased frequency of droughts can lead to land degradation and eventually, if unchecked, to increased desertification.\u201d<\/p>\n

Commemorated annually on June 17, World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought seeks to promote public awareness of land degradation and to draw attention to the implementation of the 爆料网 Convention to Combat Desertification \u2013 the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management.<\/p>\n

This year’s commemoration focuses on the theme \u201cOur Land. Our Home. Our Future.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Via 爆料网 News Centre<\/a>

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With hundreds of millions of people around the globe directly affected by desertification \u2013 the degradation of land ecosystems due to unsustainable farming or mining practices, or climate change \u2013 United Nations agencies have called for better management of land so that it can provide a place where individuals and communities \u201ccan build a future.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":95,"featured_media":28126,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23,4],"tags":[6931,5832],"class_list":["post-28116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-on-land","category-news","tag-desertification","tag-life-on-land"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/95"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28116"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28116\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}