Morocco celebrated this Monday, June 17, the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. This date aims to highlight the urgency of sustainable land management, while land degradation and drought constitute major environmental challenges.
Every second, four football fields of healthy land are degraded, representing 100 million hectares per year. Currently, nearly 40% of the world’s land surface is already degraded, threatening biodiversity and exacerbating poverty.
This year’s theme “United for the Lands: Our Legacy, Our Future» recalls the importance of sustainable land management for present and future generations. It is necessary to involve everyone to reverse alarming trends and restore 1 billion hectares of degraded land by 2030.
Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), said: “up to 40% of the planet’s land is already degraded, affecting almost half of humanity. However, solutions exist“. For example, land restoration would help people escape poverty and strengthen their resilience to climate change.
In Morocco, the effects of desertification, amplified by climate change, severely impact biodiversity. The Kingdom, aware of the risks, was among the first signatories of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in 1996 and adopted a National Action Plan in 2001.
Yassine Zegzouti, climate change expert, notes that Morocco, in a semi-arid to arid context, is experiencing persistent drought affecting water reserves and food security (access to sufficient, healthy and nutritious food). In fact, dam reserves reached only 31.79% as of April 3, 2024.
As for food security, Morocco has managed to maintain it despite six years of continuous drought. The country is also committed to implementing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations and to adopting mitigation and adaptation measures to combat desertification and drought.
Proclaimed in 1994 by the United Nations General Assembly, the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought raises awareness of the problems of desertification and land degradation. It proposes solutions to prevent these phenomena and strengthens the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.
