Everlyne Nairesiae is a Lead author of paper - Land degradation neutrality and tenure security — the SDG’s prospects; A Better World, volume 4 is a Tudor Rose publication in partnership with UNCCD for the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF 2018) and beyond.

There is increasing recognition by policymakers, and practitioners worldwide, that secure tenure rights to land are strongly linked to poverty reduction, food security, gender equality, urban development, social cohesion and environmental stability. The securing of tenure rights to land, and related land use practices, can contribute to achieving
Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) by 2030. United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) defines desertification as “land degradation in arid, semiarid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities”. Land degradation therefore means the reduction or loss of defined aspects of the biological or economic productivity and complexity of the land, resulting from land use or a combination of human activities and habitation patterns, such as soil erosion caused by wind and/or water.

Exploring the link between land tenure security and land degradation
For a long time, land tenure and land degradation have been treated in isolation. Although there is no global empirical
evidence that links a specific tenure type to causes of land degradation, studies have suggested that secure land tenure rights for individuals or groups positively affect LDN. Security of land tenure is anchored in the freedom from fear of dispossession of such rights, regardless of their legal status.

Current literature shows that individuals or groups with secure land tenure rights are more likely to undertake long-term investment and embrace land use practices that prevent and restore degraded land. Decisions on land use practices may include, but are not limited to, tree planting,prevention of soil erosion, improved governance of range land, and use of enclosure grazing areas.