Sustainable land management is key to fighting sand and dust storms

The importance of sustainable land management (SLM) in fighting sand and dust storms (SDS) has been recognized by the International Conference on Combating SDS that took place in Tehran on 3-5 July 2017. Ministers and other high-level officials have called for collective response to the rising environmental challenge of SDS. They have agreed that unsustainable land management is among leading factors contributing to SDS, which pose a major obstacle to the development in affected countries, particularly in Asia and Africa. Promoting SLM can minimize the risk of future storms and reduce their impact on human health, agriculture, food security, infrastructure and the environment in rural and urban areas and across a broad range of ecosystems that includes croplands, rangelands, wetlands and deserts.

Creating collaborative risk reduction programmes, sharing early warning information and developing joint mitigation measures are also among key areas where countries should cooperate to effectively combat SDS.

The Conference was hosted by the Department of Environment and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran in cooperation with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, UN Environment, UN Development Programme and other UN agencies. You can find more information on the conference by following this link.

Visit the UNCCD Knowledge Hub to find information on best practices in sustainable land management.