FNs program for ørkenbekæmpelse (UNCCD) ruster sig til kampen mod Jordens voksende ørkener; stadig flere lande er ramt, selv det naturrige Angola i Sydvestafrika er nu truet
NEW YORK, 26 March 2012 – With land degradation (nedslidning) and desertification affecting 1,5 billion people across the globe, 75 per cent of them among the world’s poorest, the United Nations’ most recently-appointed Drylands Ambassador Monday called for greater efforts to combat the problem.
“I want us all to agree that we will become a society that is free of land degradation,” said Leila Lopes, also the holder of the Miss Universe 2011 title, at UN Headquarters.
Drylands, or ecosystems characterised by a lack of water, cover some 40 per cent of the world’s terrain, ranging from cultivated lands and grasslands to savannas and deserts. They are home to 38 per cent of the world’s population or 2,7 billion people, and account for half of global livestock production.
Miss Lopes comes from the African region where desertification is the foremost environmental challenge – part of her home country of Angola is threatened by desertification.
Ms. Lopes stressed that “drylands are not wastelands,” noting that they can be restored, and pledged to work hard to create awareness on the threat of land degradation.
The UNCCD Executive Secretary, Luc Gnacadja, pointed out that 75 billion tonnes of fertile soil is lost every year as a result of land degradation. He added that land degradation and drought in drylands causes the loss of about 12 million hectares of productive land every year on which 20 billion tonnes of grains could grow.
“This is equal to 23 hectares of land transformed into man-made desert every minute,” Mr. Gnacadja said.
“Sustainable land use for all and by all is an imperative. It should be the cornerstone for the green economy for sustainable development and poverty eradication, and I hope that the Rio+20 Conference in Brazil will live up to this imperative”, stressed he.
He highlighted two mechanisms which he said can help halt the shrinkage of fertile land.
The first of these entails the management of non-degraded fertile lands in ways that do not cause degradation, thus halting further loss; while the second method calls for the restoration of already degraded lands.
Kilde: FNs Nyhedstjeneste
