The essentials
- 40% of the planet’s land is degraded, including ¼ of arable land
- A group of experts, a sort of IPCC for desertification, was established during this COP16
- Contrary to popular belief, pastoralism plays a key role in land restoration and the renewal of natural resources
« During this COP16, agricultural and food issues and pastoralism took center stageexplains Jean-Daniel Cesaro, geographer specializing in flows linked to livestock farming in the territories at CIRAD. In particular through two negotiations on emerging themes for the convention: one relating to sustainable agricultural systems and the other on rangelands and pastoralists ».
This world summit dedicated to sustainable land management and the fight against desertification was an opportunity for CIRAD to convey a key message: although livestock farming is often seen as a factor in land degradation in international discussions , pastoralism, on the contrary, constitutes an essential lever for the restoration of ecosystems and the sustainable management of natural resources. Extensive livestock farming in dry regions should therefore be supported because of its agroecological nature and because it concerns nearly 70% of the planet’s arid and semi-arid zones.
The expected and recognized science
« In these arenas, our role is to provide solid scientific results to institutional partners, private actors and civil society organizations,” assures Jean-Daniel Cesaro. Through the French delegation and the French Scientific Committee to Combat Desertification (CSFD), the researcher was able to note a growing recognition of science by all parties. This is demonstrated in particular by the sustainability of the science-policy interface and the Science and Technology Committee of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (Unccd), whose mission is to provide a scientific overview of the evolution of desertification.
Through several interventions during side-events, notably during the thematic day on food systems, CIRAD was able to present innovative solutions to restore degraded lands and support local communities. “Agroecology and pastoralism are essential levers to combat desertification exacerbated by the impacts of climate change. Our goal is to promote these sustainable land management practices to achieve land degradation neutrality”specifies Jean-Daniel Cesaro.
The 17the Desertification COP will be held in 2026 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. A meeting to which CIRAD will be present, especially as it will be part of the International Year of Pastoralists and Pastoralists (IYRP).
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