Representing nearly 41% of the land above sea level, arid zones are home to more than two billion people who suffer from the ongoing degradation of the land and soil that provide them sustenance. Owing to desertification and droughts, nearly twelve million hectares of land are no longer arable each year. It is urgent to halt this trend related to unsustainable uses of the land, unfavorable climate conditions and population growth.

The target of “degradation neutrality” has been set. Based on the restoration of degraded land and sustainable land management, this goal is important to the decision-makers in charge of land planning and development. Apart from degradation neutrality, only an amplification of good practices on a large scale can provide security for the water and food supplies, for energy and for human beings.