The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has issued a statement on the role of land use change in spawning diseases such as COVID-19, emphasising the need for its reversal. Such changes bring humans closer to animals, fostering an environment conducive to the spread of zoonotic diseases.
Understanding the Concept of Land Use Change
Land use change is a human-induced process that drastically alters the natural landscape for various purposes such as settlement, commercial activities, and forestry. This not only affects greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, but also results in land degradation.
The Effects of Land Use Change as Presented by Data Analysis
Land use changes contribute significantly to global climate change by influencing CO2 atmospheric concentration, representing almost 25% of total global emissions. According to the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), over 70% of all natural, ice-free land in the world is currently affected by human use, a figure that could surge to 90% by 2050. In monetary terms, ecosystem services such as forest resources, agriculture, grassland tourism, etc., worth $10.6 trillion are lost due to land degradation annually, affecting over 3.2 billion people globally.
Reasons Behind the Phenomenon of Land Use Change
Possible reasons for land use change include population growth which exerts extreme pressure on resources, leading to the exploitation of the existing natural resources of the land area. An increase in demand for food has led to cropland expansion, invading uncultivated areas like forests, shrubs, and wetlands. Moreover, extensive use of forestry resources for construction, firewood, and agricultural tools has resulted in the degradation of forest cultivated land. Land cultivated for farming purposes is often abandoned for grazing due to soil fertility decline. Also, the conversion of wetlands into cultivated and residential areas leads to their destruction.
Possible Solutions to Counter the Effects of Land Use Change
According to an IPCC report on land use, implementing climate-smart land management practices such as increased food productivity, enhanced cropland and livestock management, agroforestry, increased soil organic carbon content, and reduction of post-harvest losses could aid in ecosystem conservation and land restoration. This could result in an increase of $1.4 trillion in crop production. Improved fire management and better grazing land can also contribute to land restoration. To achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (Sustainable Development Goal target 15.3), restoring and rehabilitating 12 million hectares of degraded land annually could help close the emissions gap by up to 25% by 2030.
About the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
Established in 1994, the UNCCD is a legal international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management. It specifically addresses the arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas – the drylands – home to vulnerable ecosystems and communities. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change from India acts as the nodal Ministry for this convention.
World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2020
Observed worldwide on June 17, the theme for World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2020 was Food, Feed, Fibre. The day advocates for reducing the impact of food consumption on the land. According to the United Nations, the 2020 event focused on the relationship between consumption and land. The ‘global observance event’ was virtually hosted by the Korea Forest Service.
Zoonoses, a Direct Consequence of Land Use Change
Zoonoses refer to infections or diseases naturally transmissible from vertebrate animals to humans. Animals play a pivotal role in maintaining zoonotic infections. These infections can be bacterial, viral, or parasitic.
Way Forward
The urgency to decelerate and reverse land use change cannot be understated as land is a critical element of biodiversity. The land use sector has a significant role in achieving the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 2°C. Implementing responsible land governance is crucial for ecosystem restoration, biodiversity protection, land use-based adaptation and the betterment of small-scale farmers’ livelihoods. Parties to the UNCCD now have the chance to adopt a bold resolution on land holdings for Land Degradation Neutrality, to empower communities to better adapt to climate emergency impacts.