What is desertification? The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) defines this process as "the degradation of the lands of arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid zones resulting from various factors, such as climatic variations and human activities".
On the other hand, land degradation is defined as the reduction or loss of biological or economic productivity of the land.
According to the official UN website: The Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2021 focuses on the transformation of degraded lands into healthy lands. Hence its title: "Restoration. Lands. Recovery".
Restoring degraded lands contributes to economic resilience, job creation, increased income and greater food security; helps restore biodiversity; it allows capturing the atmospheric carbon that warms the Earth, thus reducing the effect of climate change; and supports a green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, as restoring natural landscapes reduces direct contact between wildlife and human settlements, creating a natural barrier against zoonoses.
Let's treat the land as a precious and limited natural capital, prioritize the health of our soils and do our best to restore the land. I recommend watching the documentary Kiss the Ground on Netflix to understand this topic a little better.
On the other hand, land degradation is defined as the reduction or loss of biological or economic productivity of the land.
According to the official UN website: The Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2021 focuses on the transformation of degraded lands into healthy lands. Hence its title: "Restoration. Lands. Recovery".
Restoring degraded lands contributes to economic resilience, job creation, increased income and greater food security; helps restore biodiversity; it allows capturing the atmospheric carbon that warms the Earth, thus reducing the effect of climate change; and supports a green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, as restoring natural landscapes reduces direct contact between wildlife and human settlements, creating a natural barrier against zoonoses.
Let's treat the land as a precious and limited natural capital, prioritize the health of our soils and do our best to restore the land. I recommend watching the documentary Kiss the Ground on Netflix to understand this topic a little better.