Worldwide land degradation undermines well-being of 3.2 billion people, IPBES report warns

26 March 2018 – Medellín, Colombia – A landmark 3-year assessment report produced by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and approved at the 6th session of the IPBES Plenary, identifies land degradation as the main cause of species loss and the driver of mass migration.

Worsening land degradation caused by human activities is undermining the well-being of two fifths of humanity, driving species extinction and intensifying climate change. It is also a major contributor to mass human migration and increased conflict, according to the world’s first comprehensive evidence-based assessment of land degradation and restoration.

Providing the best-available evidence for policymakers to make better-informed decisions, the report draws on more than 3,000 scientific, government, indigenous and local knowledge sources.

Learn more:

• UNCCD Lead Scientist Barron Joseph Orr welcomes IPBES thematic assessment on land degradation and restoration
• Read the full press release from IPBES

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