World Day against Desertification
Protecting the soil to save life on the planet
The planet loses some 24 billion tonnes of fertile soil every year. Consequently, protecting and restoring soils can reduce forced migration, improve food security, stimulate economic growth and help us tackle the global climate emergency.
Without soil, we cannot eat, and without soil protection we risk, at best, being swept away by landslides and floods. Soil health is crucial in combating climate change and is an indispensable reservoir of biodiversity.
The theme of this year’s day
calls for a form of planetary resilience:
"Restoration. Territory. Recovery.
Let's rebuild better with healthy soil”.
NETWORKED INDIVIDUALS AND INSTITUTIONS ARE CALLED UPON TO… LIMIT THEMSELVES:
- reduce excessive demand on natural land;
- avoid food waste;
- reduce water demand for food and industrial production;
- reduce the water footprint of livestock production;
- balance the demand for animal products;
- prevent forested areas, which protect biodiversity and combat soil degradation and desertification, from being lost due to the conversion of land for agricultural use, grazing and feed production.
WHAT ARE THESE WAYS OF RESPECTING THE EARTH BASED ON?
The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification is the only legally binding international instrument. It regulates and guides the actions necessary to combat land degradation and desertification by linking environmental protection and socio-economic development with sustainable land and soil management.
Together with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), it forms part of the three UN environmental conventions also known as the “Rio Conventions”.