The fifteen sessions of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) were recently addressed by the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change. This event marks a pivotal moment in the fight against desertification, land degradation, and drought under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The conference was held in Cote d’Ivoire, a country on the West African coast.
Key Highlights of COP15
COP15 serves to broaden the conclusions drawn from the second edition of the Global Land Outlook. The event was centered around the theme, ‘Land. Life. Legacy: From scarcity to prosperity’ implying the strategic shift from resource scarcity to abundance. The event aims at creating tangible solutions to combat the interconnected challenges of land degradation, climate change, and biodiversity loss. Furthermore, drought, land restoration, land rights, gender equality, and youth empowerment were critical points on the conference agenda.
The Threat of Desertification
Desertification results from a notable reduction or complete loss of biological or economic productivity of drylands. Human activities and fluctuating climatic patterns primarily contribute to this phenomenon, causing significant degradation of arid, semi-arid and sub-humid areas. The driving forces behind desertification include vegetation degradation, erosion by wind and water, climatic changes, and urbanization.
Global Efforts to Prevent Desertification
At a global scale, several initiatives have been undertaken to address desertification. The inception of The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in 1994 marked a groundbreaking step towards sustainable land management. The UNCCD is the sole legally binding international agreement that links environmental concerns and developmental aspects with sustainable land practices. Moreover, the Delhi Declaration of 2019 urged the need for better access and stewardship over land while promoting gender-sensitive transformative projects.
India’s Strategies to Check Land Degradation
India has adopted several proactive measures to curb land degradation and desertification. The National Action Programme, launched in 2001, is one such initiative aimed at combating desertification. In line with the global appeal for submissions of nominations for World Restoration Flagships, India has proposed six flagships intending to restore about 12.5 million hectares of degraded land.
Various programmes including Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP), National Afforestation Programme (NAP), National Mission for Green India (GIM), Soil Health Card Scheme, etc. have been implemented to address issues related to land degradation and desertification.
The Importance of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
The UNCCD aims to provide an integrated approach for coping with desertification and mitigating the effects of drought, especially in drought-prone regions. The convention calls for bottom-up approaches, enabling the active participation of local communities in the fight against desertification. It also seeks to create an enabling environment at higher levels to facilitate actions at national and local levels.
