Land for Life Award

Launched at UNCCD COP10 as part of the Changwon Initiative, the Land for Life Award honors projects that recover and restore degraded landscapes worldwide to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on Land and its target 15.3 Land Degradation Neutrality in particular. The awards were presented between 2012-2021, and the new nominations are not accepted at the present time.

Winners

2021: ShyamSunder Jyani Familial Forestry, India

Familial Forestry is a concept developed by Shyam Sunder Jyani, Associate Professor of Sociology in Rajasthan, India. It connects trees with families, treating each tree as a green “family member.” By placing the family—the cornerstone of society—at the center, the approach fosters environmental care as a shared household responsibility, embedding it into daily life and consciousness. Since 2006, more than a million families across 15,000 villages in desert-prone northwest Rajasthan have planted over 2.5 million saplings, with active participation from students and local communities.

2021: Saihanba Forest Farm (Kubuqi special award)

Saihanba Forest Farm in Hebei Province, China, was established to prevent encroaching sandstorms. Over 59 years and three generations of dedication, the farm has transformed 93,300 hectares of desert, afforesting 76,700 hectares. Forest cover has risen from 11.4 per cent to 82 per cent, while timber reserves have expanded from 330,000 m³ to 10.36 million m³. Once described as “a land where birds had no trees to perch on and the sun was obscured by yellow sands,” Saihanba now stands as a thriving forest—a living example of ecological restoration on a grand scale. Each year, it purifies 274 million m³ of water, sequesters 814,000 tons of carbon and releases 570,600 tons of oxygen. Beyond ecology, Saihanba has fostered green industries, raised employee incomes to USD 15,000 annually and become a “Green Bank” supporting local poverty alleviation.

2021 Land for Life special mention

Global Landscapes Forum in recognition of the exceptional work as one of the world’s largest knowledge-led platforms on sustainable and inclusive landscapes. 

2019: Mr. Yun Dan (Kubuqi special award)

Believing that a beautiful Tibet with a well-preserved, sustainable environment would strengthen China’s ecological security and improve the lives of Tibetan people, Yun Dan introduced a new approach to forestry modernization in Tibet during his tenure as head of the Tibet Forestry Administration. He was among the first local officials in China to recognize the role of ecological compensation—providing financial support to communities that conserve forests and other ecosystems—in poverty alleviation. Yun Dan also proposed an afforestation strategy that promoted large-scale projects, prioritized the establishment of mixed forests and encouraged the use of elite native tree species. Thanks to his efforts, multiple tree-breeding bases were established and operated by the newly formed Tibet Land Afforestation Group Co., Ltd., removing a long-standing barrier to rapid afforestation in Tibet. Yun Dan also attracted investment from major forestry-related ecological enterprises outside Tibet, including Elion Group Co., Ltd. and Inner Mongolia M-grass Ecology & Environment (Group) Co., Ltd., to support ecological forestry projects in the region.

2019: MERET (Managing Environmental Resources to Enable Transition), Ethiopia

MERET traces its origins to the emergency response to food crises in the 1970s. Today, this large-scale project is fully owned and operated by the Government of Ethiopia, with support from WFP (World Food Programme), the World Bank and donor nations. Over more than three decades, it has restored an estimated 2.5 million hectares of degraded watersheds across 72 districts, reducing food shortages by 50 per cent. Farmers have successfully escaped poverty, while beneficiary communities have been empowered to participate in decision-making at every stage of development, ensuring ownership and sustainability. To date, 1.5 million households have benefited, and as best practices are replicated and scaled up, this number is expected to grow in the coming years.

2019: Mathieu Ouédraogo, President of Réseau MARP, Burkina Faso 

Mathieu Ouédraogo has devoted his life in the Sahel to restoring degraded land to productivity. He began in the early 1980s with the OXFAM-funded Agroforestry Project in Burkina Faso’s Yatenga region and became its director in 1983. Under his leadership, the project developed and promoted contour stone bunds, a simple water-harvesting technique that has since spread widely across the northern Central Plateau. Combined with improved planting pits (zaï) for which Yacouba Sawadogo received the Right Livelihood Award in 2018, these bunds have had a significant impact on crop yields, food security, tree growth and groundwater recharge. Mathieu has consistently and successfully promoted both techniques. In 1992 he founded the Réseau MARP, the first organization in Burkina Faso to promote participatory research techniques. MARP, the French acronym for Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), was supported by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). At the same time, the network remained at the forefront of restoring degraded land. In 2009 it became the first organization in Burkina Faso to test the use of small quantities of mineral fertilizers (micro-dosing) with farmers in six provinces.

2017: Watershed Organization Trust, India

The Watershed Organization Trust (WOTR), founded in 1993, is an NGO active in seven states in India. It has carried out extensive work in reclaiming degraded lands, particularly in semi-arid regions, through participatory watershed development (WSD). To date, WOTR has helped restore 8,913 square kilometres of degraded land with a focus on vulnerable communities, impacting 1.38 million people across India. Beyond its sustainable land management approach, water budgeting and micro-irrigation have strengthened resilience in drought-prone areas, benefiting at least 355,832 people. WOTR’s efforts have also reduced rural-to-urban migration and created substantial local employment opportunities. More than 300,000 people from India and abroad have been trained in natural resource management and watershed development. WOTR’s work spans land restoration, poverty reduction and climate change adaptation, while also leading in capacity building, empowering vulnerable communities and women, and advocating for WSD at state and national levels.

2017: UN Environment and Practical Action, Sudan

The Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (ECO-DRR) pilot project in North Darfur was implemented by UN Environment in partnership with the State Government of North Darfur, Practical Action Sudan and community-based organizations from 2012 to 2015 with support from the European Union. The interventions led to a 17.5-fold increase in water retention and expanded irrigation and cultivated land from 364 hectares to about 6,300 hectares annually. As a result, 4,500 farmers gained access to more land for producing crops including animal fodder, easing grazing pressure on already degraded rangelands. Rehabilitated water structures also reduced the drought vulnerability of 17,500 people and strengthened the coping capacities of five communities in managing drought and water scarcity. The demarcation of a 10 km migratory pastoralist route reduced potential conflict between pastoralists and farmers, with plans to expand the route to 120 km. In addition, 24.3 hectares of degraded forest were rehabilitated through the creation of five community forests managed by women’s groups. Within the next three to four years, these forests are expected to provide women with new sources of income.

2017: Ms. Yingzhen Pan (Kubuqi special award)

Ms. Yingzhen Pan, Director-General of the National Bureau to Combat Desertification of the State Forestry Administration of China, began her work in combating desertification in 1984. Under her leadership, the restoration of the Three North Regions Shelterbelts, globally recognized as the world’s largest ecological restoration project, has resulted in the afforestation of 29.2 million hectares of degraded land. The shelterbelt now generates forest economic value worth 120 billion yuan, helping to lift 15 million people out of poverty. Her achievements also include counteracting the encroachment of sand on 336,200 square kilometres of land and soil erosion on 450,000 square kilometres. In addition, Ms Pan initiated coordination among relevant departments and strengthened support for the rehabilitation of 1.3 million hectares of desertified land across seventy-one counties in China.

2017: Land for Life special mention: Ms. Florencia Escudero Fonseca, Spain

•  For providing tangible evidence of improving human security and transforming the lives of communities affected by land degradation

2015: SEKEM, Egypt

SEKEM, founded by Ibrahim Abouleish in 1977, has used biodynamic agricultural methods to rehabilitate more than 2,000 hectares of desert land in Egypt. It has grown into a thriving agricultural enterprise and was a global pioneer in developing organic cotton cultivation, helping to reduce chemical use in Egypt’s textile industry by 90 per cent. SEKEM has also created 1,500 jobs through its subsidiary companies. Today, its work goes beyond sustainable land management to encompass social and human development. Through the SEKEM Development Foundation (SDF), it has established a Waldorf kindergarten, schools, a vocational training centre and Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development, which opened in 2012.

2015: Elion Resource Group (Kubuqi special award)

Elion Resource Group, established 27 years ago, focuses on eco-environmental restoration and rehabilitation in desert areas as well as degraded urban land. Guided by its greening ecosystem model, the Group has improved the livelihoods of 100,000 farmers and herders in the Kubuqi Desert. Elion has transformed more than 11,000 square kilometres of degraded land into productive land and has promoted the development of green energy. It pioneered a “micro-coal atomization” technology designed to reduce coal pollutants in energy generation. Together with other private enterprises, the Group also launched the “Green Silk Road Equity Investment Fund” to support eco-environmental restoration projects along the Silk Road.

2014: The Conservation Organization for Afghan Mountains Areas (COAM), Afghanistan

COAM Afghanistan has achieved remarkable results under the challenging conditions of a country in transition. By promoting clean cookstoves, COAM has reduced pressure on fragile arid rangelands by 50 per cent while also delivering health and livelihood benefits for women and families. Decades of war, extreme poverty and harsh climate conditions have left Afghanistan’s rangelands severely degraded and at risk of desertification. COAM’s wide range of interventions has helped reverse these trends, including community-based initiatives, solar water heaters, bio-briquettes, tree planting, gravity-fed irrigation systems and watershed management planning. Its work is driven by committed youth and recognizes the crucial role of women in sustainable land management. COAM’s green technology solutions have been introduced in more than 300 villages in two districts of Bamyan Province, directly benefiting over 3,000 households.

2014: Green Asia Network (GAN), Republic of Korea

In Mongolia, 78 per cent of the country is affected by desertification. Given Mongolia’s heavy dependence on livestock farming, desertification poses a life-threatening challenge for its people. To support sustainable development, GAN focuses on three areas — environment, society and economy — by promoting self-reliance through diverse economic opportunities for affected communities. Some participants are eco-refugees who had left the countryside for urban areas; upon their return, many were astonished by the transformation of the land they had once abandoned. They found greener and more livable environments created by GAN’s efforts and became part of this renewal. GAN provides participants with wages, trains thousands of locals in forestry and sustainable agriculture, and has mobilized up to 25,000 volunteers to plant trees and engage in other restoration activities. GAN also organizes eco-tours that give visitors a first-hand view of climate change impacts while allowing them to participate in forestry projects. Looking ahead, GAN plans to expand its work to Myanmar by developing infrastructure such as tube wells, generators, water tanks and fencing.

2013: World Vision Australia working in West Africa

By popularizing the concept of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), World Vision Australia has transformed how thousands of farmers manage their land. FMNR encourages farmers to cultivate buried root systems or “underground forests” in degraded landscapes, gradually restoring productivity. Over the past twenty years, World Vision has trained thousands of farmers in FMNR, leading to the restoration of thousands of hectares in West Africa and beyond.

2013: Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), India

When land is shared by all, who is responsible for its well-being? Through land restoration and the establishment of community governance mechanisms, the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) has promoted sustainable land management across more than 200,000 hectares of common rangelands, forests and water resources in India. Its work has improved the livelihoods of 1.7 million people in over 4,000 villages and has influenced national environmental policy.

2013: Consejo Civil Mexicano para la Silvicultura Sostenible (CCMSS), Mexico

The Amanalco–Valle de Bravo Basin in central Mexico provides vital water and forest resources to millions of people, but in recent years it has suffered from population pressures and unplanned development. The Mexican Civil Council for Sustainable Silviculture (CCMSS) has strengthened the capacity of 1,500 smallholder farming families to practice sustainable agriculture and forest management across 15,200 hectares. It is also piloting carbon finance initiatives (REDD+) and payment for ecosystem services programmes in Mexico.

2012: Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion (TEMA) in Türkiye 

With nearly half a million members and active volunteers, TEMA is the largest movement for conservation, erosion control and habitat restoration in Türkiye. Through its advocacy, soil erosion has become widely recognized as an urgent national issue. TEMA volunteers collected more than one million signatures, which contributed to the adoption of the Law on Conservation of Soil and Land Management. In recognition of its inspiring efforts, TEMA received an award of 30,000 USD.

2012: Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods (SOIL) in Haiti

The people of Haiti face serious challenges from land degradation and limited access to sanitation. By building eco-san toilets, SOIL provides sanitation to communities without access while at the same time producing valuable organic fertilizer for land restoration. In recognition of its innovative efforts, SOIL received an award of 40,000 USD.

2012: Conservation Efforts for Community Development (CECOD) in Uganda 

Eighty-five per cent of Ugandans live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, yet schools often do not prepare students for working the land and many young people do not complete their education. Through its eco-schools programme, CECOD trains teachers in a curriculum on sustainable land management and has launched dozens of hands-on community projects such as school gardens, water collection and composting. In recognition of its important efforts, CECOD received an award of 30,000 USD.