Land Degradation Neutrality – a New Impetus for Addressing the Degradation of Land and Soils

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LAND DEGRADATION NEUTRALITY – A NEW IMPETUS FOR ADDRESSING THE DEGRADATION OF LAND AND SOILS

With the target on Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) the Sustainable Development Goals have created new political momentum to address land degradation. The UN Convention to Combat Desertification adopted LDN as its central objective and supports countries in defining national targets to avoid degradation and restore degraded land. This provides an opportunity to advance action against land and soil degradation on national agendas, reform respective policy instruments and mobilise additional funding.

By Alexander Erlewein and Antje Hecheltjen

and degradation is an increasingly severe A NEGLECTED PROBLEM the only legally binding international agree- Lglobal environmental and development ment to address land and soil degradation. De- problem. Each year an additional area of 12 Irrespective of the fundamental challenge that spite being one of the three Rio Conventions, million hectares of agricultural land get de- land degradation poses to rural development in the actual influence of the UNCCD has been graded and soil erosion amounts to an esti- many parts of the world, awareness among the limited in the past. This may be explained by mated 24 billion tons (3 tons per capita). The public and policy-makers is generally low. Soil its formally restricted mandate on land deg- manifestations of land degradation are diverse continues to be a neglected resource whose radation in drylands, i.e. desertification, and and context-specific, but are always character- degradation usually takes place slowly and only a regional focus on Africa. More important- ised by the degradation of soil, vegetation and/ becomes visible at a late stage. Moreover, land ly though, the convention lacks a clear and or water resources – predominantly through and soil are often perceived as private prop- quantifiable target. unsustainable forms of land use. This results in erty rather than public goods, while political a massive loss of ecosystem services, with the responsibility cuts across the agricultural and reduction in agricultural productivity being a environmental ministries. Whereas the agri- AWARENESS OF LAND DEGRADATION main concern. The increasing degradation of cultural sector tends to perceive soil fertility as IS GROWING land and soils is therefore a major threat to a mere function of input supply, the environ- food security and the resilience of rural com- mental sector largely reduces land degradation However, attention has been growing over munities while contributing to climate change to land cover change, with a focus on defor- the last few years. A number of internation- and biodiversity loss. In total, the estimated estation. al initiatives (such as the Global Soil Week, annual costs of land degradation world-wide the Food and Agriculture Organization’s amount to 400 billion US dollars. At the international level, the UN Conven- Global Soil Partnership or the Economics of tion to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is Photo: Georgina Smith, CIAT Georgina Photo: 34 INTERNATIONAL PLATFORM

Land Degradation Initiative) as well as several The LDN response hierarchy high-ranking scientific assessments have raised the awareness of decision-makers. A particu- AVOID Avoid – Land degradation can be avoided by addressing drivers of larly important step was the integration of land degradation and through proactive measures to prevent adverse and soil degradation into Agenda 2030. SDG change in quality of non-degraded land and confer resilience, via appropriate regulation, planning and management practices. target 15.3 stipulates to “combat desertifica- 1 tion, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land deg- REDUCE Reduce – Land degradation can be reduced or mitigated on agricultural radation-neutral world by 2030”. This target and forest land through application of sustainable management practices (sustainable land management, sustainable forest management). started to gain significant political momentum 2 when the 12th Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD decided to make LDN the central objective for the convention in 2015. REVERSE Reverse – Where feasible, some (but rarely all) of the productive potential and ecological services of degraded land can be restored or rehabilitated through actively assisting the recovery of ecosystem functions. WHAT IS LAND DEGRADATION 3

NEUTRALITY? Maximise conservation of natural capital

Land degradation neutrality (LDN) is first of all an aspirational target. Similar to the role of the two degree target in global climate poli- Source: Scientific Conceptual Framework for Land Degradation Neutrality. cy, LDN serves as a common overarching goal A Report of the Science-Policy Interface. UNCCD, 2017. to address a global environmental problem, giving orientation to the UNCCD process and providing a joint vision for the often frag- untary national targets on reducing land degra- tion pathway is more project-oriented aiming mented strategies to address land degradation. dation and rehabilitating degraded land. So far, at the roll-out of additional programmes for Constituting benchmarks to which countries 60 countries have set LDN targets, some with sustainable land management and rehabilita- and the international community can be held rather general goals for achieving a state of no tion in degradation hotspots. Such strategies accountable for politically, targets aim to even- net loss in 2030 or at an earlier or later date and are more concrete and help to achieve tangible tually spur action. others with specific quantitative targets. For results, although they are also more limited in example, Senegal aims to annually improve 5 scope and may not address the need for poli- Secondly, LDN is a concept, defined as “a per cent of the land under degradation until cy reform. A combination of policy and proj- state whereby the amount and quality of land 2030, while Namibia has committed to reduce ect-oriented approaches is clearly best suited to resources necessary to support ecosystem func- bush encroachment on 1.9 million hectares by successfully implement LDN targets. tions […] remain stable or increase”. Thus, 2040 (see also article on pages 36–37). LDN is achieved if there is no net loss (or a Obviously, many existing programmes and gain) of land resources compared to a baseline Such ambitions may overlap with other already projects already contribute to achieving na- (e.g. 2015). Such a balance can be achieved existing ones for forest and landscape resto- tional LDN targets, particularly those working through avoiding, reducing and reversing land ration (AFR 100, 20x20 etc.) or climate action on landscape restoration, agroforestry, water- degradation. The LDN response hierarchy (Nationally Determined Contributions). The shed management, soil rehabilitation or ero- (see Figure) underlines the need to prioritise LDN target-setting programme explicitly en- sion control. They should be made visible and the avoidance of land degradation while mak- courages such linkages as they provide leverage may help to identify scalable best practices and ing use of the large areas of degraded land that for political and financial support. increase the ambitiousness of LDN targets. An holds potential for restoration. LDN target a country has set can be an opportunity to advance necessary reforms of policy Thirdly, LDN is a monitoring approach that DIFFERENT PATHWAYS FOR and planning instruments as well as to foster allows for tracking progress on the implemen- IMPLEMENTING LDN the often lacking co-operation between agri- tation of LDN targets (see Box on page 35). cultural and environmental authorities. With a growing number of countries having set LDN targets, the challenge increasingly TRANSLATING A GLOBAL GOAL INTO becomes one of implementation. Bold targets PROMISING EXAMPLES AND NATIONAL AMBITIONS: LDN TARGET need to be translated into policies and projects OBSTACLES SETTING that actually improve the way land is managed on the ground. There are two main approach- Experience from countries following an LDN Based on these considerations, the UNCCD es for countries to implement LDN targets. approach is diverse. The number of countries has started a LDN target-setting programme One is policy-oriented and aims to mainstream participating in the LDN target setting pro- that aims to bring the global goal of LDN LDN into existing land use regulation. In this gramme, now including global players such down to the country level. Since its start in respect, the LDN mitigation hierarchy (avoid, as China, India and Brazil, clearly exceeds ex- 2015, 115 countries have joined the pro- reduce, reverse) can serve as a guiding principle pectations. However, the political relevance of gramme with the objective to formulate vol- for land use planning. The other implementa- LDN targets varies. While some countries of- RURAL 21 01/18 35

MONITORING LAND DEGRADATION NEUTRALITY FRAMEWORK FOR MONITORING AND REPORTING

What is the status of land degradation and land rehabilitation world- SDG wide? Has it improved or worsened? Where are degradation hotspots Indicator and anticipated losses located? Where should a country plan mea- 15.3.1 Proportion of land sures to avoid, reduce, or reverse land degradation? that is degraded over total land area To answer these questions, decision-makers need spatial data. Freely available satellite imagery in combination with in-situ obser- vations provide reliable data with global coverage and high repetition Sub- Indicators Land Land Cover and Carbon stocks above/ Productivity Land Cover Change below ground rates, enabling retrospective and current analysis. Most countries, UNCCD (CBD, however, are not yet exploiting the potential of data for monitoring, UNFCCC) Reporting reporting and planning purposes. Therefore, the UNCCD, together Mechanisms

with its partners, supports all country parties by providing readily SOC SOC SOC SOC SOC SOC processed data to each country as well as free tools for visualising SOC and processing their own data and by building capacities through

regional workshops. Data from Official Statistics and Land Use and Surveys, Sampling and multiple Earth Observation Management Practices Citizen Sourcing Data for reporting sources In 2018, parties to the UNCCD will report for the first time on the following three agreed quantitative indicators in a uniform approach that allows the spatially explicit estimation of changes in land degradation and restoration (see Figure): • Land productivity Source: UNCCD • Land cover change • Soil organic carbon (SOC) Data for decision-making Besides reporting, the data will serve as a basis for policy-making The three indicators are a minimal consensus to quantify land by informing land use planning with the aim to optimise the location degradation. From a scientific point of view, more sophisticated of interventions and the type of interventions. Namibia, for example, approaches exist to estimate land degradation. For monitoring, used national data on the three indicators plus bush encroachment however, an approach was needed that is (a) accepted by all coun- as a country-specific indicator to inform the integrated regional land try parties and (b) operational at global level. That this consensus use planning (IRLUP) process. Data on bush encroachment was was reached and that monitoring is now operational is a huge step especially useful, while the interpretation of SOC data proved diffi- forward for the Convention. Countries are explicitly invited to add cult. To ensure maximum exploitation of the potential of the data for country-specific indicators and national data where needed. planning processes, capacity building should target both reporting officers and technical staff for land use planning. Their choices on data will always be a compromise between (a) global comparability and (b) national relevance to inform national Synergies and inter-sectoral co-operation decision-making on resource management and land use planning. The three indicators – especially land cover change – are also relevant for reporting and decision-support for other SDGs and interna- The same indicators used for the UNCCD reporting process will tional agreements and target systems such as AFR100, the Sendai also serve for reporting on SDG 15.3 on LDN, avoiding duplication of framework for disaster risk reduction, or Nationally Determined efforts; however, some countries are still struggling aligning the two Contributions (NDCs). Inter-sectoral co-operation is thus of utmost reporting processes. The required information flow between UNCCD importance to maximising synergies and avoiding duplication of national focal points and national statistical offices as well as the efforts for monitoring, assessment, planning and implementation to acceptance of geospatial data by statisticians can be challenging. move towards a land degradation neutral world. ficially endorsed their targets, others consider ricultural and environmental policies and plans nerstone of its focal area on land degradation them to be more informal. Targets formulated to integrate LDN. In Benin, the LDN process and significantly increased respective funding by environment ministries without the partic- has triggered a continuous inter-ministerial di- volumes. A number of GEF financed LDN ipation of their agricultural counterparts are a alogue on sustainable soil management, sup- projects have already been approved (e.g. in recurrent obstacle. ported by a bilateral soil rehabilitation project Georgia, Lebanon, Namibia and Turkey), that provides best-practice examples. usually combining on-the-ground implemen- LDN explicitly calls for cross-sectoral collab- tation with activities to integrate LDN ele- oration, and most targets can only be imple- Many countries follow a pragmatic approach ments in policy processes. Another emerging mented by improving agricultural practices, and use their recently set LDN targets as an ar- funding opportunity is the recently launched incentives and advisory services. A promising gument to access additional funding for project LDN Fund that aims to mobilise private sector example in this regard is Costa Rica, which proposals. In fact, the Global Environmental investments for profit-oriented projects with already passed a directive that requires all ag- Facility (GEF) recently made LDN the cor- high environmental and social benefits. 36 INTERNATIONAL PLATFORM

SUMMING UP...

Undoubtedly, LDN has given the global agenda on land degradation a new boost. It provides a joint vision and monitoring approach for the fragmented policy field of land and soil degradation and encourages a significant number of countries to put these topics higher on the political agenda. This offers an opportunity to advance action against land and soil degradation, reform respective policies and mobilise additional funding. A key aspect is the flexibil- ity of the LDN process, which gives countries sufficient freedom to choose their targets, implementation paths and monitoring indicators according to their specific circumstances.

Dr Alexander Erlewein is advisor on land and soil degradation at GIZ. He previously worked for the UNCCD secretariat. Antje Hecheltjen is advisor on land degradation and remote sensing at GIZ. She previously worked for UN-SPIDER and as a consultant for UNCCD. Participative mapping is key to land degradation neutrality.

Contact: [email protected] Photo: Klaus Ackermann

MEASURING LAND DEGRADATION NEEDS TO BE DONE FROM THE GROUND UP

Bush encroachment is a matter of growing concern in the semi-arid regions of Namibia. Locally adapted, long-term solutions for land restoration must be elaborated. It is crucial that local scientists are empowered to map and monitor the degradation process themselves, our authors maintain.

By John Yumbya Mutua and Ravic Nijbroek

he Herero people of Namibia are resil- UN Convention to Combat Desertification thirsty: the bushland roots reach much deeper Tient. After migrating from the Great Lakes (UNCCD) process of Land Degradation Neu- into the soil than grasslands, sucking up valu- of East Africa as herdsmen, they faced invasion trality, which is setting a process in motion to able water resources, which in turn makes less by armed migrants and survived bitter warfare map, restore and monitor degraded land on a water available for grasses and changes the lo- throughout the 19th century. But today, in the global scale. cal ecology. remote, semi-arid Otjozondjupa Region, where they have their communal home, the Herero While bushes are a natural feature of Otjo- people face another threat – felt this time under A FAST SPREADING PROBLEM zondjupa Region, it is not clear what is caus- their feet. The grassland their animals rely on is ing the rapid increase in bush density, and as being replaced with dense, thorny bushes, a pro- Our research shows rapid encroachment of yet, no cost-effective method has been identi- cess called “bush encroachment”. high and low density bushes creeping into fied to stop the encroachment. Some evidence grassland areas (see Figure on page 37). This suggests that livestock herding may itself be a Commercial livestock farmers in the country has important consequences for the land deg- driver, since bushes may be replacing grasses face the same threat. The beef industry is a ma- radation process for a number of reasons. As an that have been overgrazed. Some entrepre- jor economic sector in Namibia accounting for example, our preliminary findings show that neurs are trying to turn the problem into an 68.4 million US dollars of the country’s export significant amounts of carbon stored in the soil opportunity by producing charcoal for the revenue annually. But bush encroachment is are lost after grasslands have been converted European market. What is certain is that local causing revenues to drop. This form of land to bushland. It takes decades before bushes solutions for people like the Herero and other degradation is now recognised as the fourth can sequester – or store – more carbon in the marginalised groups will need locally relevant sub-national indicator in Namibia under the soil again. In addition, bush encroachment is solutions on the ground. RURAL 21 01/18 37

BUILDING CAPACITY ON THE GROUND and, more importantly, that methodologies Namibia has established a nation- needed to be adapted locally. Namibia’s mod- al de-bushing programme which In 2016, we embarked on assessing the extent el of Integrated Regional Land Use Planning promotes the large-scale expansion of land degradation in Otjondzupa Region (IRLUP) is based on stakeholder engagement of effective activities to fight bush in Namibia, and partnered with a team from with local communities. It is up to these com- encroachment. The programme the country’s Ministry of Environment and munities to do the actual land restoration. If is supported by public and private Tourism (MET) – some of whom represent the activities involved are not accepted by sector stakeholders. GIZ backs both the government at the UNCCD – to estab- the communities, they will likely fail. So it is this programme and IRLUP. lish a baseline to measure Soil Organic Carbon important for them to be locally relevant and (SOC) and Bush Encroachment (BE). In order context-specific. Twenty land resources man- to develop the baselines to track encroach- agement professionals were trained in remote be included in participatory meetings with lo- ment, we first worked out baselines to track sensing, geographic information systems (GIS) cal communities such as the Herero. Yet the Land Use and Cover Change (LUCC) and and digital soil mapping (DSM) technologies biggest achievement of our work may still be Net Primary Productivity (NPP), which helps using open source software; this enables par- to come. Once communities like the Herero us distinguish bushes from grasses remotely. ticipants to reproduce LDN baselines without can use locally produced maps to co-devel- This was done by analysing different climatic, additional software costs in the future. op sustainable approaches for managing bush vegetative and topographic variables and data encroachment, increasing soil carbon, water – which had not been carried out at such a resources and improving livelihoods, we ex- scale and resolution before. Critically, all four THE NEXT STEPS pect to see ground-breaking, locally relevant of these variables are also the main indicators solutions. used by the government to report progress on As part of a series of trainings, teams from differ- Land Degradation Neutrality to the UNCCD. ent ministries and universities now lead the ef- fort in collecting soil samples, identifying plant John Yumbya Mutua, MSc, works as a Geographic While the CIAT team is based in Nairo- species, and digital soil mapping. We are now in Information System Analyst in the Soils and bi, Kenya, and our collaborators, World Soil the final stages of validating the LDN baseline Landscapes for Sustainability (SoiLS) Program at Information (International Soil Reference results for a different region, Omusati. Enthusi- the International Center for Tropical Agriculture and Information Centre – ISRIC) operating asm for further collaboration is high, and appli- (CIAT) in Nairobi, Kenya. from Wageningen University in the Nether- cations of the newly acquired skills are limitless. Contact: [email protected] lands, we knew from the start that the success Ravic Nijbroek, PhD, works as a Landscape Scientist of land restoration efforts would depend on All regions are now required by law to com- in the Soils and Landscapes for Sustainability empowering local scientists to map and mon- plete IRLUP. As part of the process, important Program at CIAT and is based in Nairobi, Kenya. itor the degradation and restoration processes data, e.g. the land degradation baselines, are to Contact: [email protected]

Land cover change in the study area

Forestland/Woodland Grassland Bare land 0 25 50 km Bushland Cultivated land