COP16 of UNCCD | Land Degradation

Context:

Recently, at the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to UNCCD held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the UNCCD and the UN University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health (UNU-INWEH) released a report titled “Economics of Drought: Investing in Nature-Based Solutions for Drought Resilience – Proaction Pays.”

COP16 of the UNCCD:

Key Highlights of UNCCD Report

• Scale of Land Degradation:
  • 40% of the world’s land is degraded.
• Annual Cost of Drought:
  • Exceeds $307 billion globally.
• Human-Induced Droughts:
  • Increased by 29% since 2000.
  • By 2050, three in four people could be affected.
• Financial Gaps:
  • $355 billion needed annually from 2025 to 2030 for land restoration and drought resilience.
  • Investments increased from $37 billion (2016) to $66 billion (2022), but a shortfall of $278 billion remains.
  • Private sector contributes only 6% of required funding; more private investment needed.
• Cost of Inaction:
  • Land degradation costs the global economy $878 billion annually.
  • Includes losses in agricultural productivity, ecosystem services, and drought damages.

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD):

• UNCCD: Only legally binding framework to address desertification and drought effects.
• Multilateral commitment: Mitigates land degradation, ensures food, water, shelter, and economic opportunities.
• One of three Conventions from the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
• Established in 1994.
• Members: 197 parties (196 + EU).
• India: Signatory in 1994, ratified in 1996.
• Secretariat: Located in Bonn, Germany.
• Principles: Participation, partnership, and decentralization.
• Areas of Focus: Arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid ecosystems (drylands).
• Conferences of the Parties (COPs): Held every 2 years.
• Financial Mechanism:
  • Global Mechanism (GM): Established in 1994 under Article 21.
  • Facilitates: Mobilization of financial resources to address desertification, land degradation, and drought.
• UNCCD 2018-2030 Strategic Framework:
  • Global commitment: Achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN).
  • Aim: Restore productivity of degraded land, improve livelihoods of over 1.3 billion people, and reduce drought impacts on vulnerable populations.

Land Degradation:

• According to the UNCCD, land degradation refers to the reduction or loss of biological or economic productivity and complexity of rainfed cropland, irrigated cropland, range, pasture, forest, and woodlands.
• Status of Land Degradation in India (Source: FAO and the UNCCD’s Global Land Outlook report):
  • India’s Total geographical area: 328.7 million hectares (Mha)
  • Land under degradation: 96.4 Mha (29.3% of India’s total geographical area)
  • Land degraded: Up to 40% of the planet’s land
  • Humanity affected: 50% impacted by land degradation
  • Economic impact: Degradation threatens roughly half of global GDP (US$44 trillion)
  • Restoration pledge: Nations aim to restore 1 billion degraded hectares by 2030, requiring $US 1.6 trillion this decade
  • Agriculture’s role: Responsible for 80% of global deforestation

Source: DTE

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Previous Year Question

What is/are the importance/importances of the ‘United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification’?
1. It aims to promote effective action through innovative national programmes and supportive international partnerships.
2. It has a special/particular focus on South Asia and North Africa regions, and its Secretariat facilitates the allocation of major portion of financial resources to these regions.
3. It is committed to bottom-up approach, encouraging the participation of local people in combating the desertification.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2016 Prelims]

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (c)

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