The Role of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
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UNCCD Library
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loose-leafs
The additional momentum generated by the UN Decade initiative is an opportunity for the UNCCD to focus more
heavily on promoting sustainable land management and soil protection’s central place in national policy and on the
international agenda. With its goal of restoring ecosystems, the UN Decade also represents an excellent opportunity to
drive the LDN agenda forward. It will help the UNCCD to achieve its own goals (including LDN) and to draw benefit
from the areas it has in common with the UN Decade and also with the UNFCCC and CBD (see the overlapping ele-
ments in Figure 1). Furthermore, by harnessing and highlighting the synergies that emerge, the UNCCD can raise
its own profile and, in return, can contribute its extensive expertise to the UN Decade.
Ensuring food and nutrition security for over nine billion people by 2050, while simultaneously achieving the other
goals of the 2030 Agenda and the three Rio Conventions, will only be possible by shifting to sustainable land use.
Prerequisite to this is the restoration of land resources, which, in turn, will require the transformation of our
agricultural and food systems through the strengthening of sustainable land use, promotion of coherent policies in
all sectors and involvement of a wide range of actors (Le Mouël et al., 2018).
There is evidence that many ecosystems can be restored, even if they are seriously degraded (Dudley et al., 2020).
The cost-effectiveness of restoration measures for the environment and society has also been determined. 16 This is why it is crucial to fully harness the momentum generated by the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration to conserve
and restore land resources by 2030.
Sustainable land management requires the building of relevant capacities and increased funding, especially in
developing countries. When delivered as part of responsible development and environmental policies, this capacity
building and enhanced funding can help break the ‘poverty trap’, which otherwise stands in the way of sustainable
socio-economic development in environmentally fragile areas (Cao et al., 2021)
heavily on promoting sustainable land management and soil protection’s central place in national policy and on the
international agenda. With its goal of restoring ecosystems, the UN Decade also represents an excellent opportunity to
drive the LDN agenda forward. It will help the UNCCD to achieve its own goals (including LDN) and to draw benefit
from the areas it has in common with the UN Decade and also with the UNFCCC and CBD (see the overlapping ele-
ments in Figure 1). Furthermore, by harnessing and highlighting the synergies that emerge, the UNCCD can raise
its own profile and, in return, can contribute its extensive expertise to the UN Decade.
Ensuring food and nutrition security for over nine billion people by 2050, while simultaneously achieving the other
goals of the 2030 Agenda and the three Rio Conventions, will only be possible by shifting to sustainable land use.
Prerequisite to this is the restoration of land resources, which, in turn, will require the transformation of our
agricultural and food systems through the strengthening of sustainable land use, promotion of coherent policies in
all sectors and involvement of a wide range of actors (Le Mouël et al., 2018).
There is evidence that many ecosystems can be restored, even if they are seriously degraded (Dudley et al., 2020).
The cost-effectiveness of restoration measures for the environment and society has also been determined. 16 This is why it is crucial to fully harness the momentum generated by the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration to conserve
and restore land resources by 2030.
Sustainable land management requires the building of relevant capacities and increased funding, especially in
developing countries. When delivered as part of responsible development and environmental policies, this capacity
building and enhanced funding can help break the ‘poverty trap’, which otherwise stands in the way of sustainable
socio-economic development in environmentally fragile areas (Cao et al., 2021)
Keywords
ecosystems restoration
desertification
land degradation
drought
sustainable land management
SDG 15.3
policy making
land degradation neutrality
Great Green Wall (GGW)
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