»Über drei Milliarden Menschen sind von Bodendegradation betroffen«

A. Land degradation is a pervasive, systemic phenomenon: it occurs in all parts of the terrestrial world and can take many forms Combating land degradation and restoring degraded land is an urgent priority to protect the biodiversity and ecosystem services vital to all life on Earth and to ensure human wellbeing

A1. Currently, degradation of the Earth’s land surface through human activities is negatively impacting the wellbeing of at least 3.2 billion people, pushing the planet towards a sixth mass species extinction, and costing more than 10 per cent of the annual global gross product in loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Loss of ecosystem services through land degradation has reached high levels in many parts of the world, resulting in negative impacts that challenge the coping capacity of human ingenuity. Groups in situations of vulnerability feel the greatest negative effects of land degradation, and often experience them first. These groups also see the greatest benefits from avoiding, reducing and reversing land degradation. The main direct drivers of land degradation and associated biodiversity loss are expansion of crop and grazing lands into native vegetation, unsustainable agricultural and forestry practices, climate change, and, in specific areas, urban expansion, infrastructure development and extractive industry.

A2. Investing in avoiding land degradation and the restoration of degraded land makes sound economic sense; the benefits generally by far exceed the cost. Land degradation contributes to the decline and eventual extinction of species and the loss of ecosystem services to humanity, making avoidance, reduction and reversal of land degradation essential for human wellbeing. Shortterm gains from unsustainable land management often turn into longterm losses, making the initial avoidance of land degradation an optimal and costeffective strategy. Studies from Asia and Africa indicate that the cost of inaction in the face of land degradation is at least three times higher than the cost of action. On average, the benefits of restoration are 10 times higher than the costs, estimated across nine different biomes. While challenging, the benefits of restoration include, but are not limited to, increased employment, increased business spending, improved gender equity, increased local investment in education and improved livelihoods.

A3. Timely action to avoid, reduce and reverse land degradation can increase food and water security, can contribute substantially to the adaptation and mitigation of climate change and could contribute to the avoidance of conflict and migration. This is especially important considering the projected 4 billion people that will be living in drylands in 2050. Inherent feedbacks between the Earth’s land systems, climate and human societies mean that efforts to address land degradation and restore land have multiplicative benefits. Land restoration and reduced and avoided degradation that increases carbon storage or avoids greenhouse gas emissions in global forests, wetlands, grasslands and croplands could provide more than one third of the most coseffective greenhouse gas mitigation activities required by 2030 to keep global warming to below 2°C. By 2050, land degradation and climate change together are predicted to reduce crop yields by an average of 10 per cent globally and up to 50 per cent in certain regions. Decreasing land productivity, among other factors, makes societies, particularly on drylands, vulnerable to socioeconomic instability. In dryland areas, years with extreme low rainfall have been associated with an increase of up to 45 per cent in violent conflict. Every 5 per cent loss of gross domestic product (GDP), itself partly caused by degradation, is associated with a 12 per cent increase in the likelihood of violent conflict. Land degradation and climate change are likely to force 50 to 700 million people to migrate by 2050.

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