Giving New Life to Degraded Lands in Small Island Developing States
An FAO partnership with Google is helping collect and analyse land degradation data.
Speeding up efforts to reverse or prevent land degradation in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) is vital in the next few years if the Sustainable Development Goals are to be achieved. That was the message at an event hosted by FAO this week during the 13th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP13) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
An assessment of degraded lands in Small Island Developing States is being developed based on the collection and analysis of land-use information and management practices of the land users. The data is obtained using the Land Degradation Assessment (LADA) methodology which has already been successfully applied in over 30 countries. The assessment results will be used in formulating policies and making decisions to address climate change and boost the resilience of people and their landscapes.
"For the first time, all countries can equally contribute to global assessments of degraded land and define their own restoration opportunities," said René Castro, Assistant Director-General of FAO's Climate, Biodiversity, Land and Water Department, at COP13 which is being held in Ordos, China.
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