Towards a Land Degradation Neutral World DLDD* and Sustainable Development Towards a Land Degradation Neutral World Luc GNACADJA Executive Secretary Berlin, 23 April 2012 DLDD = Desertification Land Degradation & Drought

Land/Soil ? Poverty Food security Energy Water What implications for Sustainable Development 70% rural in 2030 +40% Poverty Food security Energy Water Land/Soil 80% hunger rural +50% in 2030 Water in Agric 70% in 2030 +40% For Agricult-Forests Biodiv-Settlements& Infrastructure 2030: Urbanization: to 30 million ha - Deforestation: 70 to 80 % of expansion of cropland expansion lead to deforestation 140 million to 175 million hectares

So much depends on so little

DLDD: Some facts & figures ? Sustainable Development More than 50% of agricultural moderately to severely degraded LD directly affects 1,5 billion people globally 75 billion tons of fertile soil disappear/year 12 million ha/Year lost due to drought and desertification Six million km2 of drylands bear a legacy of desertification Biodiversity: 27,000 species lost each year due to LD 70 to 80 % of expansion of cropland lead to deforestation +140 to 175 million ha by 2030 Food Energy Water Forest Land/Soil Climate Change DLDD Biodiversity loss

DLDD has far-reaching impacts Extreme Poverty Food insecurity & Hunger Increased to Drought & Water stress Increased emissions of GHG Biodiversity Loss Deforestation Instability & Crises Migrations DLDD has far-reaching impacts

Drought potential worldwide 2000-2098 Source : University Corporation for Atmospheric Research - http://www2.ucar.edu/news/2904/climate-change-drought-may-threaten-much-globe-within-decades

Climate change will depress agricultural yields in most countries by 2050 given current agricultural practices and crop varieties Changes in agricultural productivity by 2050 due to Climate change Source: Müller and others 2009. in WDR 2010, Page 145 Note: The figure shows the projected percentage change in yields of 11 major crops (wheat, rice, maize, millet, field pea, sugar beet, sweet potato, soybean, groundnut, sunflower, and rapeseed) from 2046 to 2055, compared with 1996–2005. The values are the mean of three emission scenarios across five global climate models, assuming no CO2 fertilization (see note 54). Large negative yield impacts are projected in many areas that are highly dependent on agriculture

The real value of Drylands Area: more than 40% of the world land mass Population: 38% of the 7 billion of people living Food: 44% of the World’s food production system 50% of the World’s livestock Forest: Dry forests makes 42% of the earth's tropical and subtropical open or closed forests Biodiversity: Drylands, home to the world’s largest diversity of mammals whose survival, literally, hangs on the arid zone forests. But GDP in dryland areas is 50% lower than in non-drylands

DLDD & Climate Change The % of Earth’s land area stricken by serious drought has more than doubled from the 1970s to the early 2000s Climate change will depress agricultural yields by up to 15-50% in most countries by 2050, given current agricultural practices and crop varieties Agriculture worldwide accounts for around 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The related deforestation contributes about 11% “Improved management of the world’s land (including terrestrial carbon) represents one third of the overall global abatement potential in 2030 (and a half in 2020)1. It represents 7Gt CO2e of mitigation in developing countries in 2020, roughly 40% of the 17Gt CO2e of mitigation required globally” No Carbon neutrality without Land degradation neutrality

Source: World Resources Institute, South Dakota State University, the IUCN and the Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration - http://www.wri.org/map/global-map-forest-landscape-restoration-opportunities

Cost of Action Vs Inaction The Economics of Land Degradation

A Zero Net Rate of Land Degradation is within reach Status & Trends in Global Land Degradation Source: SOLAW 2011 - FAO

The UNCCD Environment & Development Convention with a focus on arid semi-arid & subhumid areas Entered into force on 26 December 1996 Ratified by 195 Parties 5 geographical Annexes (RAPs and SRAPs) 98 National Action Programmes (NAPs) 164 Affected Parties

The UNCCD Strategic Objectives To mobilize resources through building effective partnerships among all stakeholders 4 To generate Global Benefits 3 2 To improve the Conditions of affected Ecosystems 1 To improve the Livelihood of Affected Populations *SLM = Sustainable Land Management

Degradation Neutral World For a SDG on Land @ Rio + 20 Improving Livelihoods Improving Ecosystems Reversing Land Degradation Sustainable land use for all and by all (in agriculture, forestry, energy, urbanization Land Degradation Neutral World Food Energy Water Targets: ZNLD by 2030 ZNFD by 2030 Drought preparedness in all droughts prone countries by 2020 Forest Gender Migration SLM Land/Soil DLDD Climate Change Biodiversity loss Efficiency Resilience Inclusiveness

Mankind is a Desert-making Species An Historical Fact Mankind is a Desert-making Species ‘Forests precede civilization Deserts follow them’ We must build a land degradation neutral world

LD Neutrality Poverty eradication Food Security Drought & Water stress Improving livelihood through pro-poor policies on Sustainable Land & Water Management Food Security Preserving the resource base for food security – Land productivity/Soil fertility improvement at the core of all long term strategies Drought & Water stress Improving water availability & quality through sustainable land & water management Climate change Land is a win-win context for adaptation, mitigation & resilience building Biodiversity Biodiversity conservation through improvement of land ecosystems’ conditions LD Neutrality Avoided Deforestation Sust. Land Management & Restoration of degraded Lands as an alternative to Deforestation Bio Energies Opportunities for Bio energies through biomass production Avoiding Forced Migrations Changing the DAM paradigm “Degrade-Abandon-Migrate”

Thank you