Losing the ground beneath our feet What needs to be done during the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
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UNCCD Library
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news article
Rich and healthy soils are the basis of all life on Earth.
# Yet up to 40 percent of the planet’s land is degraded, affecting half the world’s population.About 1 billion people in developing countries live in extreme poverty. Two thirds are in rural areas, and their land is their life—they rely on it for shelter, food and income. They also stand to suffer disproportionately from land degradation in the coming decades, unless large-scale restoration takes place.
These are in areas with the highest rates of poverty, hunger, inequality and pollution.
# Especially at risk are people living in drylands – covering 45 percent of the Earth’s surface – which are prone to desertification and the devastating impacts of climate-related shocks such as disease, drought, flooding and wildfire.
# Around 12 million hectares of land are lost each year to degradation.
# By 2050, it is estimated that less than 10 percent of the Earth’s land surface will remain free of direct human impact.
All the world’s regions are experiencing land degradation, which takes many forms – from soil degradation to forest loss, loss of grasslands and wetlands.
# In the European Union, 60-70 percent of soils are degraded as a direct result of unsustainable management and have lost significant capacity to provide ecological functions for various forms of life.
# Fifty percent of agricultural land in Latin America will be degraded by 2050.
# Two thirds of land in Africa is already degraded, affecting 65 percent of the continent.
# At this pace, 135 million people, including 60 million from sub-Saharan Africa, may be displaced by 2045.
Climate change and desertification are linked and feed off each other – together they create less healthy ecosystems and biodiversity, while at the same time reducing crop and livestock productivity and soil’s ability to store carbon.
This fatal ‘partnership’ has led to the demise of many past civilizations.
The stakes Transformation is going to require bold steps.
# Every year the world is losing US$44 trillion of its agricultural GDP due to land degradation.
If hunger and food insecurity are to be overcome by 2050, agricultural productivity will have to increase by 100 percent in developing countries and 60 percent in developed countries.
READ Further from the source above
# Yet up to 40 percent of the planet’s land is degraded, affecting half the world’s population.About 1 billion people in developing countries live in extreme poverty. Two thirds are in rural areas, and their land is their life—they rely on it for shelter, food and income. They also stand to suffer disproportionately from land degradation in the coming decades, unless large-scale restoration takes place.
These are in areas with the highest rates of poverty, hunger, inequality and pollution.
# Especially at risk are people living in drylands – covering 45 percent of the Earth’s surface – which are prone to desertification and the devastating impacts of climate-related shocks such as disease, drought, flooding and wildfire.
# Around 12 million hectares of land are lost each year to degradation.
# By 2050, it is estimated that less than 10 percent of the Earth’s land surface will remain free of direct human impact.
All the world’s regions are experiencing land degradation, which takes many forms – from soil degradation to forest loss, loss of grasslands and wetlands.
# In the European Union, 60-70 percent of soils are degraded as a direct result of unsustainable management and have lost significant capacity to provide ecological functions for various forms of life.
# Fifty percent of agricultural land in Latin America will be degraded by 2050.
# Two thirds of land in Africa is already degraded, affecting 65 percent of the continent.
# At this pace, 135 million people, including 60 million from sub-Saharan Africa, may be displaced by 2045.
Climate change and desertification are linked and feed off each other – together they create less healthy ecosystems and biodiversity, while at the same time reducing crop and livestock productivity and soil’s ability to store carbon.
This fatal ‘partnership’ has led to the demise of many past civilizations.
The stakes Transformation is going to require bold steps.
# Every year the world is losing US$44 trillion of its agricultural GDP due to land degradation.
If hunger and food insecurity are to be overcome by 2050, agricultural productivity will have to increase by 100 percent in developing countries and 60 percent in developed countries.
READ Further from the source above
Keywords
land degradation
ecosystems restoration
land health
drylands
facts and figures
poverty
food insecurity