Reaping the rewards: Financing Land Degradation Neutrality
Publication year
Resource type
UNCCD Library
Material Type
ebook
With an expected 9.5 billion people living on earth by 2050, population pressure, higher consumer expectations and climate change will tax and degrade our natural resource base, especially the land. Land degradation puts the livelihoods of billions of people at risk. It threatens the future sustainability of the entire planet. Land degradation is not a stand-alone issue however. It is closely linked to job creation, food and water security, migration and urbanization, climate change mitigation and adaptation, economic competition and resource conflict.
From the local to the global level, efforts to create healthy and resilient landscapes are being increasingly recognized as crucial for economic growth and prosperity. In fact, healthy terrestrial ecosystems can contribute significantly to the delivery of multiple, priority developmental goals.
With an increasing awareness of the potential of land to meet public and private development goals, land is being seen as an ever more attractive investment vehicle. As highlighted by the Second UNCCD Scientific Conference in 2013 , current investments in land management and landscape planning though rarely take into account the costs and benefits of land degradation or sustainable land management (SLM).
SLM can be profitable at all scales with more immediate returns at smaller scales, and increasing rates of return for larger scale concerns in the medium to long-term. To realize their full and true value for society and investors alike, land-based investments must become smarter and more effective; integrated and planned at the landscape level.
The vision for financing sustainable development outlined in this brochure seeks to leverage the long-term potential of human, financial, and natural capital to improve the health and productivity of land and soil, and to serve as a catalyst for making progress towards many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It makes a compelling case, in particular, that by investing in land degradation neutrality, we can reap significant
rewards.
From the local to the global level, efforts to create healthy and resilient landscapes are being increasingly recognized as crucial for economic growth and prosperity. In fact, healthy terrestrial ecosystems can contribute significantly to the delivery of multiple, priority developmental goals.
With an increasing awareness of the potential of land to meet public and private development goals, land is being seen as an ever more attractive investment vehicle. As highlighted by the Second UNCCD Scientific Conference in 2013 , current investments in land management and landscape planning though rarely take into account the costs and benefits of land degradation or sustainable land management (SLM).
SLM can be profitable at all scales with more immediate returns at smaller scales, and increasing rates of return for larger scale concerns in the medium to long-term. To realize their full and true value for society and investors alike, land-based investments must become smarter and more effective; integrated and planned at the landscape level.
The vision for financing sustainable development outlined in this brochure seeks to leverage the long-term potential of human, financial, and natural capital to improve the health and productivity of land and soil, and to serve as a catalyst for making progress towards many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It makes a compelling case, in particular, that by investing in land degradation neutrality, we can reap significant
rewards.
Keywords
food security
land degradation
private investments
case studies
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