Tackling Land Degradation : A Prerequisite for Human Security

1. 2014 Inter-ParliamentaryRegionalHearing onExemplary Forest Policies in AfricaNariobi, 1 – 3 October 2014 Tackling Land Degradation:A Prerequisite for Human Security Luc GNACADJA - World Future Council

2. Outline Land degradation/Desertification?Human Security? The tradeoffs in land use change: Progress or Degradation? How LD threatens human security and global sustainability? Restoring more than we degrade: Land degradation neutrality in the Sust. Dev. Goals (SDGs)

3. Desertification: a global challenge in a Vicious Cycle Desertification = Land Degradation in dry lands Land Degradation? Long-termloss of land (terrestrial bio productive syst.) productivityfromwhich the land cannotrecoverunaided

4. Causes of Land Degrad./Desertification • Deforestation • Overgrazing • Unsustainable Agriculture • Soil Erosion (Wind & Water) A Vicious Cycle

5. Tradeoffs in land use change: Progress or degradation? Forest Grassland Use intensification 1. Undisturbed Function change or Function trade off 2. Extensive 3. Intensive Source: PBL 2009 From trade-offs in Ecosystem functions towards Total degradation

6. Smart Policies needed to transform tradeoffs in synergies Forest Grassland Use intensification 1. Undisturbed Function change or Function trade off 2. Extensive 3. Intensive 4. .. Degraded?

7. In too many places, achievements in production have been associated with management practices that have degraded the land & water Status & Trends in Global Land Degradation Source: SOLAW 2011 - FAO

8. Human Security? • Human Security (HS) concept connotes that of Human Development • Here, “Security” means freedom from fear, freedom from want and freedom to live in dignity. • Human security addresses human vulnerability and lack of resilience vis-à-vis security threats and risks in areas such as economic, food, health, environmental, personal, community, political. • It’s a people-centered concept of security understood as necessary for national, regional and global security and stability.

9. How Land DegradationthreatensHuman Security?

10. Extreme Poverty Food insecurity & Hunger Water stress & Increasedvulnerability to Drought CC: Loss of resilience & Increased emissions of GHG Biodiversity Loss Economics:LD cost up to 5% GDP/Year Deforestation Instability & Crises Environ. induced Migrations Degradation of Livelihoods Depletion of resource base for HS LD =

12. Land Degradation & Drought: Fight or Flee? • by 2020 an estimated60 million people could move from the desertified areas of Sub-SaharanAfricatowardsNorthAfrica & Europe • by 2050, 200 million people maybepermanentlydisplacedenvironmentalmigrants in the World to Fight or to Flee

13. Drylands: The World’s most conflict-prone region Drylandsand Conflicts - Source: “Common Wealth” , J. Sachs)

14. Drylands: The World’smostconflict-proneregion Desertification Vulnerability in Africa, 2008 Conflicts & Food Riots in Africa, 2007-2008 Terrorists Attacks in 2012 In ‘Desertification, The Invisible Frontline’; UNCCD 2014

15. Migration main trajectories • Major push factors of environmentally- induced migration: • Drought • Desertification • WaterScarcity Environmentdegradation - Migrations & Conflicts Source: GermanAdvisory Council on Global Change ­ WBGU (2007)

16. Vulnerability to desertification: A migration push factor? Desertification and drought global hot spots have become major global sources of environmentally-induced migrations Global Desertification Vulnerability

17. Drylands are not marginal lands The real value of Drylands • 1/3 of the world land mass and population • 44% of the World’s food production system • 50% of the World’s livestock • Dry forest made 42% of the earth's tropical and subtropical open or closed forests • Home to the world’s largest diversity of mammals whose survival, literally, hangs on the arid zone forests

18. Climate Change: DROUGHT may threaten much of the globe within decades • % of Earth’s land area stricken by serious drought has more than doubled from the 1970s to the early 2000s • Africa is the most drought stricken and vulnerable region of the world • Since 2009, 7 out of the 10 worst drought disasters in the world have been taken place in sub-Saharan Africa • Yet no country in the continent has effective drought preparedness and risk management policies & institutions Source: University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR); July 2012http://www2.ucar.edu/atmosnews/news/2904/climate-change-drought-may-threaten-much-globe-within-decades

19. Risk of human-induceddesertificationFrom “Land resource stresses and desertification in Africa “ Published in: P.F. Reich, S.T. Numbem, R.A. Almaraz and H. Eswaran , 2001 Land Degradation: Africa is most vulnerable region • Weather shocks: the occurrence of droughts affecting over 2 M people has increased from 20% (1970s) to 90% (2000s) • Social & resource-based conflict: • Horn of Africa: home to over 4 million internally displaced and 2.5 million refugees due to war and drought • Sahel region: home to over 500,000 internally displaced and 400,000 refugees • Vulnerability is compounded by land degradation: over 3% of Africa’s agricultural GDP is lost annually—equivalent to US$ 9 billion per year-as a direct result of soil and nutrient loss • Over 45% of Africa was affected by desertification. 80% of the pasture &rangelandseriously eroded/degraded

20. Can this man-made barren land thriveagain? Niger Republic, West Africa, 1980’s

21. 1955 Dynamics of land use and vegetation in Southwest of Zinder, Niger B 2005 1975 C A

22. Transformedlandscape: Farmer-managednaturalregeneration - FMNR

23. ‘Underground forests’: Tony’seureka moment in Niger • FMNR = Farmer-managed natural regeneration, one of the most successful and cost-effective agro-forestry schemes for regenerating desertified land by managing living tree stumps & roots • “When you understand desertified land you can restore them” (Tony Rinaudo)

24. Impacts of Farmer-managednaturalregeneration(FMNR) in Niger • 5,000,000 ha re-greened in 20 years (only labour for protection, investment in extension, no recurrentcosts to governments) • 200 million new trees • additionalcereal production/year: 500,000 ton • 2.5 million people fed • 1.25 million rural householdsinvolved Challenges for scaling up and dissemination • Secure Land tenureand Land userights • Public investments on infrastructures • Access to market • Tailored legislation, policies& institutions

25. Comparative Overview of Terroirs on Opposite Sides of the Niger-Nigeria Border Source: Google Earth, 2005 Niger Desertification & Droughtwhencompoundedwithweakgovernanceoften fuel tribal / political / religiousfights Nigeria

26. Degraded Lands are underperformingAssets 450 Millions ha … More than in anyother continent! Desertification Vulnerability in Africa Published in: P.F. Reich, S.T. Numbem, R.A. Almaraz and H. Eswaran , 2001

27. Investments in Drylands can pay off • The potential benefits of drylands(at local, regional & global levels) have not been fully utilized because of: • Myths & stigma • Market failures, • Lack of public goods, • Weak incentives, • High investment costs and • Gender inequalities. Many drylands in developing countries have been investment deserts for too long, yet sustained higher levels of investment can enhance productivity and boost incomes. • For the greatest gains, investments need to be configured to the short and long-term variability of these human-ecological systems. There are opportunities to suit all sectors • For the public, private large-scale commercial, community and household, and private small-scale sectors Investments areas: renewable energy, education, health, water, farmland, pasture and livestock, woodland and trees, land use, conservation and tourism, urban development, markets, innovation and risk management, etc. (Source: ‘Global Drylands UN System Wide Rapid Response’ UNEP-EMG, 2011

28. Restoring more than we degrade: Achieving a Land-Degradation Neutral World (LDNW) by 2030 Potential Historical change options Soil factor NPP Food Fiber Water Floods Climate Biodiversity LDNW Restoration: Type 2&3 Ongoing change Prevention: Type1 Business as usual 0 2000 2050 1990 2030 2040 2020 2010 Time SDG Goal 15 & target 15.3 by 2030 “Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss”

29. Poverty eradication • Improving livelihood through pro-poor policies on Sustainable Land & Water Management • Food Security • Preserving the resource base for food security – Land productivity/Soil fertility improvement at the core of all long term strategies • Drought & Water stress • Improving water availability & quality through sustainable land & water management • Climate change • Land is a win-win context for adaptation, mitigation & resilience building • Biodiversity • Biodiversity conservation through improvement of land ecosystems’ conditions Land-degradation neutrality: A framework for integrated LANDscape management • Avoided Deforestation • Sust. Land Management & Restoration of degraded Lands as an alternative to Deforestation • Bio Energies • Opportunities for Bio energies through biomass production • Avoiding environ. Forced Migrations • Changing the DAM paradigm • “Degrade-Abandon-Migrate”

30. HistoricalFact: Mankind is a Desert-making Species PleaseJoin Thank You Myhopeis That thisgenerationwillinitiate the restorationage