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Landcare: Providing Pragmatic Solutions to Address Land Degradation
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Friday morning began with a panel presenting the Landcare approach, based on community involvement and leveraging collective strength, as a solution to land degradation. With its origins in Australia, Landcare is currently organized as a multi-level volunteer-based network, working in most global regions, as explained by one panelist.
Discussing tools employed by the African Landcare Network, a speaker mentioned integration of local and scientific knowledge, local bylaw reforms, and innovation platforms, defining the flexibility of the approach and the lack of predetermined goals in planning as success factors. He said that the network aims at vibrant rural institutions that leverage technical innovations, policy and market mechanisms through capacity development.
At the global level, the movement is working on a proposal to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) for the establishment of an International Year of Landcare. The final speaker noted that land is a shared resource, creating global interdependencies through food production systems, and called for global-level stewardship of land. |
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GEF Experiences Investing in Ecosystem Restoration Through SLM and SFM/REDD+
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On Friday afternoon, this panel discussed SLM in the context of investments by the GEF. One participant discussed SLM challenges, including low adoption of practices due to limited capital, knowledge, skills and incentives. She noted the importance of community involvement and integration of SLM strategies into all levels of governance.
Another panelist discussed a GEF project on Groundnut Basin Soil Management and Regeneration in Senegal, supported by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), which aimed to increase the fertility of the land, work with herders, develop integrated land management at the ecosystem level, and create income-generating activities compatible with SLM principles. He also discussed the Country Partnership Programme (CPP), highlighting the CPP in Burkina Faso.
One speaker described in general how the GEF supports SLM and SFM. He highlighted forest restoration challenges including: managing multiple benefits; addressing pressures of food security, population growth and climate change; and prioritizing long-term benefits over short-term gains. |
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The Potential Contribution of Ecosystem Restoration to ZNLD
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An afternoon panel on Friday explored the contributions of ecosystem restoration to land degradation neutrality and ZNLD, and how to build on existing international partnerships to facilitate their implementation.
Keynote speaker Uriel Safriel, Co-Chair, Israel National Ecosystem Assessment Project, said maintaining the total amount of non-degraded land, or ZNLD, should be the goal. He explained that restoring the productivity of degraded land requires restoring its supporting services and exploring its dependence on offsite regulating services.
Representatives of the Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD), the UNCCD, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance and the FAO presented on: ZNLD-related Aichi Biodiversity Targets; the Hyderabad Call for a Concerted Effort on Ecosystem Restoration; and a review of global assessments of land and ecosystem restoration.
A civil society panelist argued for making ecosystem degradation a less subjective concept. Pointing out the high cost of restoration, speakers called for: cross-sectoral approaches; decisions informed by science; assessment of actions across the hierarchy of SLM options; and finance at scale, in order to achieve land degradation neutrality. |
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The GGWSSI, an African Alliance Contributing to a LDNW
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On Friday afternoon, this panel discussed three aspects of the Great Green Wall (GGW): civil society engagement; regional and national dimensions; and means of mobilizing resources for implementation. One speaker highlighted how the GGW has benefited Algeria. Another called for avoiding duplication and promoting rural entrepreneurship.
One panelist noted that the GGW, as a regional activity, can act as a pool into which various partners can contribute funds. A number of panelists stressed the importance of capacity-building activities and knowledge sharing. Several panelists highlighted funds mobilized by the GEF, the Global Mechanism and the World Bank.
Discussions addressed issues including: translating regional vision to local action; building competencies for local communities to sustainably manage land; attracting the attention of the private sector; defining criteria for the geographic boundaries of the GGW; and integrating previous initiatives into the GGW. |
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Communication for Sustainable Development: Biodiversity Days, the Climate Change and Land Degradation Agendas
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The last panel, including Namibia’s Minister of Environment and Tourism Uahekua Herung and sustainable development communication specialists, discussed experiences and challenges in raising awareness on environmental issues.
Minister Herung described biodiversity and climate change as high priority areas within the government’s development agenda, and highlighted Namibia’s participation in International Biodiversity Day. Other panelists said that messages need to: be tailored for different audiences and with different partners; connect with happiness and encourage moral behavior; and be based on better strategies for leveraging public participation.
Panelists discussed several on-the-ground communication projects in Namibia, including “Yes,” which engaged students in conjunction with International Biodiversity Day. In closing, one panelist welcomed partnerships with GEO Magazine and activities taking place in association with International Biodiversity Day. A supplement to GEO Magazine on biodiversity and climate change was also launched, followed by a reception. |
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Daily web coverage (click on the following links to see our daily web pages)
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Seventh Rio Conventions Pavilion (RCP)
