25 September 2015: The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) have come together in celebration of the UN’s adoption of the ‘2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’ to launch an infographic brochure and video on the importance of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 15.3 “to achieve a Land Degradation Neutral World.”

The infographic is titled ‘Towards a Land Degradation Neutral World – A Sustainable Development Priority.’ The UNCCD highlights that as a result of the current negative trends in land degradation, communities and ecosystems are less able to ensure food and water security, generate livable incomes and cope with the impacts of climate change. Many livelihoods in the developing world are closely linked to the productivity of the land, which in turn defines its capacity to adapt to and mitigate climate change.

Welcoming the 2030 Agenda, UNCCD Executive Secretary Monique Barbut stated that “Literally speaking, the health and productivity of the ground that we stand on will largely determine the future prosperity and security of humankind.” She added that the launch of “this ambitious development agenda” also recognizes “the need for immediate climate action, which means that sustainable land management and restoration must be front and center on both of these global agendas.”

UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner emphasized that “An integrated landscape approach, one where we protect, restore and sustainably manage our land resources, will be essential in achieving multiple goals and targets at the required scale.” He further stressed that such an approach provides “a collaborative, effective and efficient means to implement the SDGs so as to reach our shared global vision of prosperity, health and dignity for all the world’s citizens.”

On 27 September 2015, Presidents François Hollande (France) and Ollanta Humala (Peru) chaired an interactive dialogue on ‘Protecting our Planet and Combating Climate Change.’ Among other themes, the dialogue addressed how SDG target 15.3 on land degradation neutrality (LDN) can be translated into effective climate action and a pathway to meet the food, water and energy needs of close to ten billion people by 2050. [Publication: Towards a Land Degradation Neutral World] [Video on Land Degradation Neutral World] [IISD RS Sources]