COP16 of UNCCD | 16 Dec 2024

Source: TH 

Why in News?

Recently, the 16^th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) concluded in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with nearly 200 countries committing to prioritise land restoration and drought resilience.  

• It was also the first time a UNCCD COP was held in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. 

What Were the Key Outcomes of COP16 UNCCD? 

• Global Drought Framework: Nations advanced efforts toward a global drought framework, aiming for completion at COP17 in Mongolia 2026. 
• Financial Pledges: Over USD 12 billion pledged to address desertification, land degradation, and drought. 
  • Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership: USD 12.15 billion committed to supporting 80 vulnerable countries, including USD 10 billion from the Arab Coordination Group. 
  • Great Green Wall (GGW) Initiative: The African-led GGW initiative secured Euros 11 million from Italy for Sahel landscape restoration and Euros 3.6 million from Austria to enhance coordination across 22 African countries. 
  • Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS): Nearly USD 70 million announced for VACS initiative.  
    • VACS aims to build resilient food systems with diverse, nutritious, and climate-adapted crops in healthy soils. 
• Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities: Caucuses for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities were formed to ensure their perspectives and challenges are represented. 
  • The Sacred Lands Declaration, presented at the Indigenous Peoples Forum, greater involvement in global land and drought governance. 
• Business4Land initiative: It highlights the role of private sector advocacy, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies, and sustainable finance in tackling Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought (DLDD) challenges. 
  • The private sector currently contributes only 6% of financing towards land restoration and drought resilience. 
• UNCCD’s Science-Policy Interface (SPI): Parties agreed to continue the UNCCD’s SPI, established at COP11 (Windhoek, Namibia) in 2013 to translate scientific findings into recommendations for decision-makers.  

What is Desertification and its Current Status? 

• Desertification: Desertification is a type of land degradation in which an already relatively dry land area becomes increasingly arid, degrading productive soil and losing its bodies of water, biodiversity and vegetation cover. 
  • It is driven by a combination of factors, including climate change, deforestation, overgrazing and unsustainable agricultural practices. 
• Current Status: 
  • Expansion of Drylands: According to the UNCCD report The Global Threat of Drying Lands, 77.6% of Earth’s land has experienced drier conditions since the 1990s. 
    • Drylands now make up 40.6% of Earth’s terrestrial surface (excluding Antarctica), showcasing a rapid loss of productive land. 
  • Key Regions Affected: Europe (95.9% of its land), parts o Brazil, the Western United States, Asia, and Central Africa are witnessing significant drying trends. 
    • Africa and parts of Asia are seeing ecosystem degradation and desertification, threatening biodiversity. 
  • Projected Future Impact: Projections indicate that, in a worst-case scenario, up to 5 billion people could live in drylands by the century's end, facing challenges like depleted soils, water scarcity, and ecosystem collapse. 

What are the Implications of Land Degradation and Desertification? 

• Planetary Boundaries at Risk: Seven of nine planetary boundaries have been negatively impacted due to unsustainable land use, as highlighted in the UNCCD Stepping back from the precipice report. 
  • Agriculture is responsible for 23% of global greenhouse gas emissions, 80% of deforestation, and 70% of worldwide freshwater usage. 
• Economic Cost: Droughts impact 1.8 billion people globally and the economic toll of droughts is estimated at USD 300 billion annually, severely affecting agriculture, energy, and water availability. 
• Social Cost: Water scarcity and agricultural collapse are driving forced migration across regions, including the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia, creating social and political challenges. 
• Food Security: Land degradation threatens one-sixth of the global food supply, potentially depleting one-third of the Earth's carbon reserves.  
• Link to Natural Disasters: Aridity is driving larger, more frequent wildfires, particularly in semi-arid regions, by increasing dry biomass. 
  • Sand and dust storms are becoming more common, particularly in the Middle East.

Way Forward 

• Reforestation and Afforestation:  
  • Reforestation: Uzbekistan's regreening program has planted trees and shrubs on one million hectares of the Aral desert, using drought-resistant black saxual shrubs (Haloxylon Aphyllum) to stabilize soil and prevent sandstorms. 
  • Afforestation: The "Great Green Wall" aims to restore 100 million hectares of land by 2030, involving 22 African countries in the Sahel and Sahara regions. 
• Agroforestry: Integrating trees with agricultural crops can improve soil fertility, conserve water, and reduce soil erosion. 
• Water Management Techniques: Rainwater harvesting and drip irrigation can efficiently deliver water to plant roots, minimizing evaporation and runoff in water-scarce regions. 
  • Planting drought-resistant crops ensures agriculture continues in water-scarce regions, supporting food security. 
• Habitat Restoration: Protecting and rehabilitating natural habitats, like wetlands and riverbeds, restores biodiversity, improves soil moisture, and boosts ecosystem resilience against desertification. 
• Addressing Root Causes: Addressing desertification drivers like deforestation, poor land management, and climate change is crucial, along with policies that promote sustainability.