The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and various partners organized Land Day as part of the programme of the Rio Conventions Pavilion at the sidelines of the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the UNFCCC.
The discussions took place under the overall theme of ‘Land Degradation Neutrality as a Solution to Climate Change.'
2 December 2015: The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and various partners organized Land Day as part of the programme of the Rio Conventions Pavilion at the sidelines of the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the UNFCCC. The discussions took place under the overall theme of ‘Land Degradation Neutrality as a Solution to Climate Change.’
Land Day was organized around four thematic discussions on: ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA); evergreen agriculture and land restoration; ecological rainfall infrastructure; and desertification, land degradation and climate change. The day closed with a cocktail reception titled ‘Pursuing synergies in the implementation of the Rio Conventions in Namibia,’ hosted by the Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism.
During sessions facilitated by the CGIAR Consortium’s World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF) and the Alternatives to Slash and Burn (ASB) Partnership for the Tropical Forest Margins, covering a range of topics related to EbA evergreen agriculture and land restoration, participants discussed, inter alia: the roles that ecosystems play in facilitating local adaptation to climate change; the benefits of EbA for policy and decision makers; ‘Ecological Rainfall Infrastructure’ as a new analytical framework that can contribute to credible mechanisms for understanding forest and tree effects on rainfall; the role of evergreen agriculture in achieving the Africa Restoration Initiative’s 100 million hectare target; an African Union-coordinated programme to scale up farmer-managed natural regeneration in drylands; and the UNCCD’s efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target on land degradation neutrality (LDN), through the Great Green Wall for the Sahel and the Sahara, as well as related initiatives.
A session led by Centre d’Actions et de Realisations InternationaIes (CARI), on the theme ‘Land Degradation and Climate Change – Time to Act!’ highlighted outcomes from the International Civil Society Forum DESERTIF’ACTIONS, held in June 2015 in Montpellier, France, as well as the potential of agroecology in achieving LDN and climate goals. Speakers stressed, among other issues, the importance of partnership with farmers to build sustainable agroecology-based solutions and balanced development of markets and ecosystems.
During a final discussion hosted by the Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism, participants discussed synergies among the three Rio Conventions with a view to ensuring that ecosystems and affected populations become more resilient to increasing climatic variability. [UNCCD News Report] [IISD RS Coverage of Land Day] [IISD RS Coverage of Rio Conventions Pavilion] [IISD RS Coverage of COP 21] [Rio Conventions Pavilion]