Africa: Restoration method could be vital to achieve zero land degradation
A major EU-funded FAO-programme called Action Against Desertification has paved the way for large-scale land restoration in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. Its restoration method could become a vital tool in support of efforts to achieve a land degradation neutral world, experts said in Rome today, presenting key achievements of the programme that is entering its final year.
Every year, 12 million hectares of land are degraded because of drought and desertification, according to UNCCD, the United Nations body tasked with addressing desertification. An area, UNCCD says, where 20 million tons of grain could have been grown.
Adding to the pressure on fragile ecosystems in Africa’s drylands and on islands in the Caribbean and the Pacific are population growth and climate change. They lead to hunger and poverty and are important drivers of forced migration and conflict.
“However grim this outlook may be, these problems are not insurmountable” said Eva Müller, Director of FAO’s Forestry Policy and Resources Division at the opening of Action Against Desertification’s executive meeting. “Bold action and investments can boost food security, improve livelihoods and help people adapt to climate change,” she added.
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