At least USD 2.6 trillion by 2030 to combat land degradation

At least USD 2.6 trillion will be needed by 2030 to restore more than a billion hectares of degraded land and improve global resilience to drought, according to a report published Tuesday (December 3) by the United Nations Convention on fight against desertification (CNULCD).

>> Land degradation and drought threaten people’s safety

Entitled “Investing in the Future of Land: Financial Needs Assessment for the UNCCD”, the report highlights that USD 355 billion per year will be needed to combat desertification and land degradation between 2025 and 2030. However, investments necessary are still insufficient by 278 billion USD per year.

Published during the 16^e Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the UNCCD, this report highlights that funding for land restoration is increasing, but major deficits remain, particularly in Africa, where USD 191 billion is needed each year to restore 600 million hectares of degraded land.

The UNCCD estimates that up to 40% of land is degraded globally, affecting more than 3.2 billion people. Without rapid financial intervention, the socio-economic consequences of land degradation could escalate, leading to instability and forced migration.

By 2050, this report warns, crop productivity in some regions could fall by almost 50%, leading to an increase in food prices of up to 30% and further exacerbating food insecurity, particularly in vulnerable regions.

Investing in land restoration, however, offers significant gains, generating up to eight dollars in social, environmental and economic benefits for every dollar spent on it, the report observes.

“Every dollar invested in land health is a dollar invested in biodiversity, climate and food security. The good news is that the world could save billions of dollars each year and gain trillions more by restoring health land and developing resilience to drought”, declared the executive secretary of the UNCCD, Ibrahim Thiaw.

Xinhua/VNA/CVN