Land for Life CREATE WEALTH TRANSFORM LIVES Land for Life | CREATE WEALTH —TRANSFORM LIVES WEALTH CREATE CREATE WEALTH TRANSFORM LIVES As a mother is Allowing us to cultivate her soil Mother Earth gives her land to us for our own bidding We must, in turn, Return the favor Nurture Mother Earth, as she nurtured us Extract of poem, “Mother Earth,” by Yen Li Yeap (13 years old) © 2016 UNCCD and World Bank UNCCD Secretariat Langer Eugen, Platz der Vereinten Nationen 1 D-53113 Bonn, Germany Tel: +49-228 / 815-2800 Fax: +49-228 / 815-2898/99 Email: [email protected] World Bank 1818 H Street, NW Washington, DC 20433 USA Tel: (202) 473-1000 Fax: (202) 477-6391 Internet: www.worldbank.org E-mail: [email protected] All rights reserved. This publication is a product of the staff of UNCCD and World Bank. It does not necessarily reflect the views of the UNCCD or World Bank/TerrAfrica or the member governments they represent. 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ISBN 978-92-95110-22-9 (hard copy) ISBN 978-92-95110-21-2 (e-version) CREATE WEALTH, TRANSFORM LIVES A Joint Publication of the World Bank/TerrAfrica and UNCCD Secretariat, with contributions from International Union for the Conservation of Nature, The Global Environment Facility, UNDP’s Global Policy Centre on Resilient Ecosystems and Desertification and the UNCCD Land for Life Programme. Contents Foreword ..............................................................................................................................v Preface ................................................................................................................................vii Abbreviations......................................................................................................................ix Introduction to This Book ...................................................................................................1 INNOVATIONS: INSTITUTIONS ................................................................................. 5 Natural Resources Governance as a Tool for Rural Poverty Reduction.........................................................................................9 Promoting Resilience in the Community Managed Rangelands of Kenya ................................................................................15 Community Participation Leads to Better Conservation ..............................................19 Value-Driven Land Rehabilitation in the Shouf Area of Lebanon .................................27 WEALTH CREATION ................................................................................................ 35 More Than Sustainable Land Management .................................................................. 39 Kubuqi Ecological Restoration—Reviving the Old Charm of Kubuqi’s “First City of Grassland” ............................................................................................47 Living Oasis: The Fight against Desertification in Morocco ........................................................................................55 HUMAN SECURITY, CLIMATE CHANGE, AND FORCED MIGRATION .............................................................................. 71 From Yellow to Green: Building a Sustainable Regional Development Model ..................................................................................75 Restoring Hope in the Mountain Rangeland of Afghanistan ....................................... 83 Climate Adaptation for Rural Livelihoods and Agriculture (CARLA)........................... 89 A Holistic Approach to Harness Coping Strategies for Community Adaptation to Climate Change .....................................................................................................93 SCALING UP SLM AND LAND RESTORATION INITIATIVES .............................................................................. 97 Restoring the Resilience of Ethiopia’s Highland Peoples and Landscapes ...............101 A Programmatic Approach for Transformational Changes and Integrated Solutions .........................................................................................127 Advancing Towards Landscape Restoration through Innovative Solutions in the Horn of Africa ................................................................................129 Improving Livelihoods in Uttarakhand in India ............................................................131 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................ 137 List of Authors, Story Contributors, Photo Credits, and Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................143 LAND FOR LIFE III IV UNCCD . WORLD BANK Foreword he Global Goals of the United Nations But we do not need to imagine what that General Assembly mark a radical shift world might look like. The stories and pic- Tin the way the international community tures within this book provide us with the has solved land degradation issues in the picture of that tomorrow, today. Becoming past. For a start, there is a target on land. land degradation neutral is not simply about Goal 15, which focuses on the management restoring degraded lands. It is about self- of land resources, has a bold target: for every interest—making sure the land can still pro- nation on Earth to become land degradation vide food and fresh water for us, our children, neutral by 2030. In simple terms, it means and to the third and fourth generations. It is that in 15 years, we should put an end to the about giving every child, from Mongolia to past pattern of degrading more land than we Afghanistan and from Ethiopia to China, the are restoring back to health every year. By fighting chance for a better life. 2011, when this idea was first proposed, at least 169 of the 192 United Nations member If this all sounds too good to be true, read states had declared that they were affected this book. The pictures show the transforma- by desertification, land degradation, and/or tion and testimonies of families and com- drought. munities rising from ruin and thriving, and of a restored man-made desert spawning a The adoption of this target can inspire posi- millionaire after rehabilitating the land. The tive change. But it would blow our minds if achievements are phenomenal and the hero- we could really see what 2030 would look ism of the people is refreshing. The target to like if we took that target seriously. We would stop land degradation is not wishful thinking. create new jobs and pull nearly 2 billion poor Whoever takes it seriously can expect to reap people out of poverty. And we would live a meaningful reward! in beautifully restored environments that are not just resilient to climate change, but Monique Barbut whose productivity would soar and its people Executive Secretary thrive, in spite of climate change. Preface he livelihoods of the poorest people The initiatives described in this book in the world depend on land, water, have brought land degradation, climate Tforests, and other natural resources. adaptation, and resilient landscapes and Sustainable management of these crucial ecosystems to the forefront of many policy natural resources is at the heart of achieving and investment dialogues at national, the World Bank Group’s twin goals to end regional, and global levels. But addressing extreme poverty and boost shared prosper- these challenges will require heavy ity. Nowhere is it truer than Africa, a conti- investments and effective partnerships to nent that has contributed the least to the mobilize the resources needed. TerrAfrica, profound changes underway in the Earth’s which is led by the African Union’s NEPAD climate but whose people will suffer its with- Agency, has supported governments by ering impact the most. Africa’s climate and leveraging up to US$3 billion for sustainable development agendas are inextricably linked. land and water investments for the Great Green Wall, Sahel, and the Horn of Africa Land is life. In Africa, drylands make up Initiatives, among others. 43 percent of the continent’s land area, account for 75 percent of agricultural This year, 26 African countries and partners land, and are home to 50 percent of the will launch the Resilient Landscapes Initiative population. Frequent droughts accompanied to restore 100 million hectares of degraded by unplanned, unsustainable, and poorly and deforested land in Africa by 2030. The managed use of land and water has Resilient Landscapes Initiative will focus contributed to the deterioration of the on improving soil fertility, food security, natural resources base in these areas. access to clean water, creating green jobs, Investing in landscape restoration efforts and bolstering