The United Nations has issued a stark warning regarding the escalating crisis of land degradation worldwide, declaring that an annual investment of £260 billion is essential to avert catastrophic consequences for agriculture and food security. Currently, only £56 billion is being mobilised, leaving a significant funding gap that, if unaddressed, could lead to forced migration, conflict, and widespread food shortages affecting billions.
Urgent Need for Innovative Financing Solutions
Yasmine Fouad, the Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and former Egyptian Minister of Environment, emphasised the critical need for innovative financial strategies to bridge the substantial funding gap. In an exclusive interview, she highlighted that relying solely on public budgets is insufficient. “We need the financial sector, development banks, insurance systems, and private capital to recognise healthy land as essential infrastructure for our economies and societies,” Ms Fouad stated.
The latest UNCCD report indicates that approximately $355 billion (£261 billion) is needed annually to effectively address land degradation. However, only $77 billion is currently being mobilised each year—72% of which is sourced from nations facing the most severe threats, while just 6% comes from private sector investments. This stark disparity reveals an urgent need for new frameworks to attract private financing, particularly as global aid budgets continue to decline.
The Growing Threat of Land Degradation
Land degradation encompasses a wide range of issues, including soil erosion, deforestation, and the loss of soil fertility, leading to diminished agricultural productivity. The UNCCD defines desertification as a persistent form of land degradation in dry areas, severely impacting agricultural output and livestock viability.
According to Ms Fouad, the implications of inaction extend beyond environmental concerns. “Land degradation and drought are already contributing to food insecurity, supply chain disruptions, forced migration, rising inequality, and instability in vulnerable regions,” she warned. The interconnectedness of global economies means that no nation can insulate itself from these repercussions, making investment in land restoration a crucial step towards resilience and shared prosperity.
The UNCCD’s recent data reveals a troubling trend: in 2019, 15.4% of the world’s land was classified as degraded, up from 11.4% four years earlier. This represents a loss of over 100 million hectares of productive land annually, affecting approximately 1.3 billion people. The economic toll of desertification, drought, and land degradation equates to an estimated 2% of GDP, or $878 billion, annually, disrupting food availability, soil fertility, and groundwater replenishment.
Global Consensus on the Need for Action
This urgent call to action has resonated with environment ministers from the G7, who recently acknowledged desertification and drought as “systemic global challenges” and “security risk multipliers” in a communique ahead of their upcoming summit. The need for coordinated international efforts to combat these crises has never been clearer.
Ms Fouad remains optimistic about the potential for progress, noting that if adequate funding is secured, numerous solutions are at hand. Initiatives such as watershed management projects in Ethiopia and Kenya, as well as agricultural programmes in the Nile Delta, are already in place to address specific challenges. The ambitious Great Green Wall project, aiming to plant 100 million hectares of trees across the Sahel by 2030, exemplifies the large-scale efforts needed to restore degraded land.
With 74 drought-vulnerable low- and middle-income countries submitting drought management plans to the UNCCD, the need for financial backing to turn these proposals into reality is imperative. A pivotal opportunity for discussion and action will arise during the upcoming “Conference of Parties” (COP17) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, set for August. Ms Fouad believes that such conferences are crucial for fostering collaboration between nations of the Global North and South. “The world depends on COPs to reach the consensus needed to tackle various global environmental challenges,” she asserted.
Why it Matters
The implications of failing to address land degradation are profound, threatening not only food security but also global stability. As the impacts of climate change intensify, the potential for conflict over dwindling resources increases. Investing in sustainable land management is no longer merely an environmental issue; it is vital for ensuring economic stability and social cohesion. The time to act is now, as the consequences of inaction will reverberate across borders, impacting millions and jeopardising the future of our planet.
