1. 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

2. Land/Soil ? Poverty Food security Energy Water What implications for
Sustainable Development
70% rural
in %
Poverty Food security
Energy
Water
Land/Soil
80% hunger rural
+50% in 2030
Water in Agric 70%
in %
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

3. So much depends on so little

4. 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

5. 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

6. Drought potential worldwide 2000-2098
Source : University Corporation for Atmospheric Research -

7. Climate change will depress agricultural yields in most countries by 2050 given current agricultural practices and crop varieties
Changes in agricultural productivity by due to Climate change
Source: Müller and others 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. Source: World Resources Institute, South Dakota State University, the IUCN and the Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration -

11. Cost of Action Vs Inaction
The Economics of Land Degradation

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

13. 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

14. 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

15. Degradation Neutral World
For a SDG on 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

16. 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

17. 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”

18. Thank you