Every year, the — a swath the size of Egypt, becoming unable to support people, animals and plants. As soil turns to dust and vegetation withers, the ripple effects are massive: 1.3 billion people see their livelihoods threatened and the , nearly 2% of what we produce in a year. Restoring health to soils and life to land is one of the smartest economic moves we can make. By restoring one billion hectares of degraded land (the current global target), we could unlock up to $1.8 trillion in value every year for people around the world. And the return on investment goes beyond economic gains.
Land, Plants, and Soil
Every second, the equivalent of four football fields of healthy land is degraded. To reverse this trend, we must increase our restoration efforts. If current patterns persist, 1.5 billion hectares will need to be restored by 2030, creating a trillion-dollar restoration economy. The 2025 World Day to Combat Desertification (17 June), under the theme "" highlights how land restoration can create jobs, strengthen food and water security, support climate goals, and boost resilience. It’s time to turn ambition into action. !
Restoring degraded ecosystems in Africa is crucial for food security, with WFP’s initiatives like the Livelihood Assets & Resilience Academy building Zimbabwe's local expertise to scale sustainable growth.
The offers not just a worldwide view of the situation of these indispensable ecosystems, but also explores the transformative power of evidence-based innovation in the forest sector, ranging from new technologies to successful policies, to new ways of getting finance to forest owners and managers. The biennial report, published by , is one its flagship publications, and carries extensive data on global forest resources and on humans’ interaction with them, while outlining strategies for reducing deforestation.
Desertification affects around of Africa’s land, with 55 per cent of this area considered at “high” or “very high” risk of further degradation. That is a huge threat to food security and sustainable development on a continent whose population is expected to grow by nearly 1 billion by 2050. Through , an award-winning initiative, Ethiopian villagers have replanted trees and shrubs, which are helping to counter desertification. The initiative has restored more than 350,000 hectares across Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal and Somalia. It has done so by reaching more than 600,000 households through its training and tree-growing efforts.
Healthy land provides most of our food, clothing, shelter, jobs, and livelihoods, and protects us from worsening droughts, floods, and wildfires. Yet desertification, land degradation, and drought are among the most pressing environmental challenges of our time, with up to 40% of the world’s land already considered degraded. The theme of this year’s World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought (17 June), “United for Land. Our Legacy. Our Future,” spotlights the future of land stewardship — our most precious resource to ensure the stability and prosperity of billions of people worldwide.
Burkina Faso's economy relies on subsistence agriculture, mainly cereals like sorghum, millet, corn, and rice, but faces challenges with low crop productivity due to land degradation in the northern Sahelian zone. In 2018, residents of Kirsi established the Wendpanga Simplified Cooperative to address land degradation and desertification with support from the ) and the United Nations Development Programme (). The cooperative, consisting of 180 members, has already reclaimed 260 hectares of degraded land using techniques such as the zaĂŻ, stone barriers, and half-moons.
Saudi Arabia is actively working to regreen its deserts and combat drought and land degradation. One notable project involves rehabilitating Thadiq National Park, where 250,000 trees and 1 million shrubs were planted. The Saudi Green Initiative, launched in 2021, aims to turn 30% of the country’s land into nature reserves, plant 10 billion trees, and restore 40 million hectares of degraded land. The goal is to plant 400 million trees by 2030. This effort is crucial given that 60% of the population of West Asia and North Africa faces water scarcity. The country will also host World Environment Day 2024, focusing on desertification, land degradation, and drought resilience.
Our planet’s survival depends on the delicate balance between soil and water, a precious link that generates over 95% of our food. However, climate change and human activity are degrading soils and straining water resources. World Soil Day 2023 (5 December), led by , defends the need for sustainable practices to combat soil erosion and pollution, enhance soil health, and aid water storage. Achieving those needs would be crucial to create sustainable food systems, and even mitigate climate change. Join , and use its to spread the message.
Women hold a vital stake in the health of the land. Yet they often don't have control over it. In many regions, they remain subject to discriminatory practices that impede their right to inherit and access services and resources to prosper. Moreover, when land becomes degraded, and water is scarce, they are often the worst affected. This International Day Against Desertification and Drought (17 Nov) claims as a direct investment in our future. It is time for women and girls to be at the forefront of land restoration and drought resilience efforts. !
We depend on plants for 80% of our food and 98% of our oxygen. But international travel, trade, and rising temperatures could have introduced and spread plant pests. Invasive pest species are one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss, threatening our planet. In response, the use of pesticides could increase - harming pollinators, natural pest enemies, and crucial organisms for a healthy environment. The (12 May) calls on everyone to raise awareness and take action to keep our plants healthy and help protect the environment and biodiversity.
The planet is experiencing a dangerous decline of nature due to human activity. One million plant and animal species are threatened with extinction. The recent adoption of the , a global blueprint to save the planet’s dwindling biodiversity, will try to reverse this nature loss through a package of ambitious targets. But why is biodiversity so crucial to combat climate change? Discover the reasons that make biodiversity our strongest natural defense against climate change.
The equivalent of one soccer pitch of soil erodes every five seconds, yet it takes 1,000 years to produce just a few centimetres of topsoil. Soil is the life support of our food and agriculture. We rely on soils for 95 percent of the food we consume. Yet on this course, by 2050, 90 percent of all soils are set to be degraded. Without change, degrading soils will put our ecosystems, our climate and food security in jeopardy. ’s&˛Ô˛ú˛ő±č; has been working for the past decade with countries and over 500 partners to address soil-related issues.
Cambodia’s rich biodiversity and its associated genetic resources makes it attractive for commercial bioprospecting. It encompasses a high number of known native medicinal plants. To counter various threats to Cambodia’s biodiversity, the UNDP-supported, GEF-financed project, Developing a Comprehensive Framework for Practical Implementation of the Nagoya Protocol in Cambodia, is working to strengthen the country’s capacity for access to benefit sharing vis-à -vis Cambodia’s genetic resources. A well-developed and functioning Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) national legal, institutional, and administrative framework will enable the equitable sharing of benefits from the utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge.
Tafo Mihaavo is the national network of local communities in Madagascar practicing customary natural resource management. Established in 2012, Tafo Mihaavo has more than 600 members who work in ecosystem safeguarding and restoration across 22 regions. Tafo Mihaavo has developed strategies on community natural resource management to enhance the legal recognition of local community rights. Indigenous peoples and local communities are environmental stewards of many of the world’s biodiversity and cultural hotspots. With the territories and areas conserved by indigenous peoples and local communities accounting for approximately 32 per cent of ecologically intact global land, studies show that global biodiversity goals cannot be met without them.