All publications and documents

Gradual environmental changes, such as desertification, coastal and soil erosion, tend to be less dramatic and therefore attract less attention than natural disasters. However, gradual and slow-onset changes in the environment tend to affect a larger number of people and will continue to do so in the long term. The consequences of climate change on migration present humanity with an…

UNDP's Biodiversity and Ecosystems Global Framework 2012-2020 seeks to harness the positive opportunities provided by biodiversity and natural ecosystems, as a catalyst for sustainable development. It recognizes the real value of biodiversity and ecosystems to society—in relation to secure livelihoods, food, water and health, enhanced resilience, conservation of threatened species and their…

The purpose of this study is to present good practices in soil and water conservation and soil protection and restoration from the point of view of their contribution to reducing the vulnerability of the region’s population and improving the resilience of its agro-silvo-pastoral systems. The study was undertaken on the initiative of the working group on natural resource management of the Sector…

Seventy-five percent of the world’s poor live in rural areas and most are involved in agriculture. In the 21st century, agriculture remains fundamental to economic growth, poverty alleviation, and environmental sustainability. Increased global demand for land because of higher and more volatile food prices, urbanization, and use of land for environmental services implies an increased need for…

The purpose of the UNEP Foresight Process is to produce, every two years, a careful and authoritative ranking of the most important emerging issues related to the global environment. UNEP aims to inform the UN and wider international community about these issues on a timely basis, as well as provide input to its own work programme and that of other UN agencies, thereby fulfilling the stipulation…

Current UN projections indicate that world population could increase by 2.25 billion people from today’s levels, reaching 9.15 billion by 2050. At the global level, agricultural production and consumption in 2050 are projected to be 60 percent higher than in 2005/07. The perceived limit to producing food for a growing global population remains a source of debate and preoccupation despite the…