Abstract:

Forest and land degradation undermines the foundation of human prosperity and well-being. It threatens our food and water supplies, our climate, and the biodiversity that underpins the ecosystems that sustain us. Land degradation is one of the critical elements in the gathering environmental crisis that humanity must address. Only human agency can trigger landscape regeneration by working in harmony with natural systems, shifting from an extractive to a regenerative mindset. Instead of just taking from the land, we can take and give back in equal measure. Forests and trees are central to both the causes of land degradation and the urgent actions needed to achieve sustainable development.With increased political commitment, carefully-designed and evidence-based policymaking, expanded technical capacity and stepped-up investment, the global drive to prevent and reduce land and forest degradation and restore degraded areas will ultimately be successful.