Hunger and famine are among the most shocking and disastrous phenomena in this world. We are all deeply moved when we see hungry children, especially in drylands, where poverty among rural people is a primary cause of this scourge.
It is striking that despite the positive results achieved since the 1990s with the creation of community gardens for women (Burkina Faso, Senegal), school gardens (Cabo Verde, Burkina Faso), and small family gardens (Algeria), international and national authorities seem reluctant to invest seriously in these straightforward, easily replicable “best practices” to alleviate hunger and poverty.
If local farmers, primarily women, can produce more crops with just half the usual volume of irrigation water by applying a soil conditioner only once, why aren’t we investing more in the proliferation of vegetable gardens for villagers and schoolchildren?
Take a look at my blog, <www.desertification.wordpress.com>, to see what we’ve accomplished with UNICEF Algeria in creating family gardens in the refugee camps of the Saharawi people in the Sahara desert. You’ll find compelling evidence that a practical solution to hunger exists.
Implementing such initiatives could break the downward spiral of hunger and poverty. I know the rural population in drylands often lacks the resources to buy sufficient food and, as a result of chronic malnutrition, becomes weaker and more prone to illness. Enormous sums have been spent on ambitious but sometimes unsustainable programs and projects. What if we invested in creating kitchen gardens and school gardens, providing rural people and their children with an opportunity to produce their own food within 2-3 months? Fresh food, rich in vitamins and minerals, would improve their health, enabling them to work more, become less hungry, and gain some wealth by selling excess produce at local markets.
I see no easier or better way to create an upward spiral. Remember, seeing is believing. That’s what the Saharawis have been telling us after achieving their initial successes with their new gardens and trees in the Algerian Sahara desert. If this approach works here, under such challenging conditions, why not apply it to all drylands?
The day will come when we will see this kind of transformation worldwide.
The world’s oases grew 85,000 square miles in some places and shrank 52,000 square miles elsewhere, due to desertification, a new Earth’s Future study finds. With most of the growth due to artificial oasis expansion projects, water scarcity and climate change will likely lead to net losses in the future. Credit: Sergey Pesterev/unsplash
By the numbers, from 1995 to 2020:
Oases gained 85,000 square miles, mostly from artificial expansion projects
Oases lost 52,000 square miles from desertification and water scarcity
Oases gained a net area of about 33,400 square miles, but that mostly artificial growth is not sustainable
Oases are important habitats and water sources for dryland regions, sustaining 10% of the world’s population despite taking up about 1.5% of land area. But in many places, climate change and anthropogenic activities threaten oases’ fragile existence. New research shows how the world’s oases have grown and shrunk over the past 25 years as water availability patterns changed and desertification encroaches on these wet refuges.
“Although the scientific community has always emphasized the importance of oases, there has not been a clear map of the global distribution of oases,” said Dongwei Gui, a geoscientist at the Chinese Academy of Science who led the study. “Oasis research has both theoretical and practical significance for achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and promoting sustainable development in arid regions.”
The study found that oases around the world grew by more than 220,149 square kilometers (85,000 square miles) from 1995 to 2020, mostly due to intentional oasis expansion projects in Asia. But desertification drove the loss of 134,300 square kilometers (51,854 square miles) of oasis over the same period, also mostly in Asia, leading to a net growth of 86,500 square kilometers (about 33,400 square miles) over the study period.
The findings highlight the risk climate change and anthropogenic stressors pose to these wet sanctuaries and can inform water resource management and sustainable development in arid regions. The study was published in the AGU journal Earth’s Future, which publishes interdisciplinary research on the past, present and future of our planet and its inhabitants.
The birth and death of an oasis
Oases are important sources of water for humans, plants and animals in the world’s drylands, supporting a majority of productivity and life in deserts. They form when groundwater flows and settles into low-lying areas, or when surface meltwater flows downslope from adjacent mountain ranges and pools. The existence of an oasis depends primarily on having a reliable source of water that is not rainfall. Today, oases are found in 37 countries; 77% of oases are located in Asia, and 13% are found in Australia.
Gui and his co-investigators wanted to understand the global distribution and dynamic changes of oases and see how they respond to a changing environment, such as variations in climate, water resources and human activities. Using data from the European Space Agency’s Climate Change Initiative Land Cover Product, the team categorized the land surface into seven categories: forest, grassland, shrub, cropland, water, urban and desert.
The researchers used satellite data to look for green, vegetated areas within dryland areas, indicating an oasis, and tracked changes over 25 years. Changes in the greenness of vegetation indicated changes in land use and oasis health, the latter of which can be influenced by both human activity and climate change. They also looked at changes in land surface type to find conversions of land use.
The researchers found that global oasis area increased by 220,800 square kilometers (85,251 square miles) over the 25-year timeframe. Most of that increase was from humans intentionally converting desert land into oases using runoff water and groundwater pumping, creating grasslands and croplands. The increase was concentrated in China, where management efforts have contributed more than 60% of the growth, Gui said. For example, more than 95% of the population in China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region lives within an oasis, motivating conservation and a 16,700 square kilometer (6,448 square mile) expansion of the oasis, Gui said.
Countering human efforts to expand oases, desertification contributed to oasis loss. Worldwide, the researchers found there was a loss of more than 134,000 square kilometers (51,738 square miles) of oasis land over the past 25 years. The researchers estimate that changes to oases have directly affected about 34 million people around the world.
Overall, between gains and losses, oases had a net growth of 86,500 square kilometers (33,397 square miles) from 1995 to 2020 – but most gains were from the artificial expansion of oases, which may not be sustainable in the future.
Long-term oasis sustainability
The study highlighted ways to sustain healthy oases, including suggestions for improving water resource management, promoting sustainable land use and management and encouraging water conservation and efficient use. These efforts are especially important as the climate continues to change, Gui said.
Humans’ over-exploitation of dwindling groundwater can limit oasis sustainability, as well as long-term glacier loss. While higher temperatures increase glacier melt, temporarily boosting oases’ water supplies, “as glaciers gradually disappear, the yield of meltwater will eventually decrease, leading to the shrinkage of oases once again,” Gui said.
International cooperation plays a crucial role in oasis sustainability, Gui said.
“Due to the unique mechanism of oasis formation, a river basin often nurtures multiple oases across several countries, making transboundary cooperation key to addressing water scarcity and promoting sustainable development,” he said.
The company is addressing critical global challenges such as desertification, water scarcity and climate change by transforming arid lands into fertile grounds through innovative agroforestry and desalination techniques which support and bolster environmental protection.
Sand to Green’s approach not only promotes sustainable agriculture and biodiversity but also offers economic prosperity to local communities, making significant contributions to environmental sustainability and resilience against the impacts of climate change.
A trio sets the course
Sand to Green launched in April 2022 following four years of research, development and testing in the Moroccan desert.
Young Co-founder and CEO Benjamin Rombaut says, “From the outset, we observed significant achievements in vegetation growth, soil rehabilitation, food production and more. Recognising the potential for broader application, we founded the business with the aim of replicating and scaling up these types of solutions.”
The concept of utilising agriculture to combat desertification originated with Benjamin, who recognised that advancements in desalination technology, combined with the growing demand for food and biomass, could create new opportunities for agriculture in arid environments.
During his research, he met Gautier De Carcouët, a political science graduate who was pursuing biodiversity studies at AgroParisTech, and through their partnership with Enactus, an entrepreneurship network, they met Wissal Ben Moussa.
Wissal was already engaged in experimental agriculture on her family’s land in southern Morocco, which had been affected by desertification. She completed the trio, bringing practical experience and a deep understanding of both the challenges and potentials of desert cultivation.
The need to tackle desertification
One third of the Earth’s land surface is desert. Human activities and climate change are intensifying desertification, and millions of people continue to be hit by the effects every day as the rate of land degradation increases.
Addressing desertification through greening initiatives can regenerate biodiversity, mitigate the impacts of droughts and floods, create jobs and boost local economies. Restoring degraded land can also increase agricultural productivity and strengthen food security.
The merits are myriad – and from a business perspective, Benjamin says, “Landowners should switch to agroforestry because it offers numerous environmental and economic benefits. This sustainable land use system can enhance soil fertility, increase biodiversity, reduce erosion, and improve water retention.”
Economically, agroforestry can provide diversified income sources through the simultaneous production of multiple crops, including timber, fruit and feed, which can lead to increased resilience against market and climate volatility.
“Agroforestry can also generate additional revenue streams from carbon credits and ecosystem services,” adds Benjamin. “By optimising land use and creating more resilient agricultural ecosystems, agroforestry not only contributes to environmental sustainability but can also become a profitable model for landowners in the long term.”
Support from the EBRD’s Star Venture programme
According to Benjamin, seeking the support of the EBRD’s Star Venture programme in Morocco was driven by a desire to tap into the programme’s vast resources, expertise and network to accelerate Sand to Green’s growth and enhance its ability to counter desertification and climate change.
“The EBRD is recognised for its commitment to fostering innovation, sustainability, and economic growth in emerging markets, making it an ideal partner for start-ups like Sand to Green,” explains Benjamin. “Working with the EBRD offers significant advantages, including access to financial support and expert mentorship, as well as the opportunity to connect with a broad network of industry partners and stakeholders.”
Leveraging digital technologies
Sand to Green has developed an innovative software platform which plays a crucial role in the planning, management and monitoring of its agroforestry projects.
The software utilises data on soil, climate and the availability of water to simulate and implement effective agroforestry designs tailored to specific local conditions. The platform enables continuous monitoring and real-time adjustments, ensuring the success and sustainability of projects.
It also quantifies carbon capture for carbon credit purposes, combining economic and environmental benefits.
This digital approach facilitates the precise management of land resources, optimises the use of water through desalination processes, and ultimately supports the scalability and replication of Sand to Green’s agroforestry projects across different arid regions, making it a key driver of their business model and sustainability goals.
Joining forces at the ChangeNOW Summit
The 2024 ChangeNOW Summit in Paris brought together sustainability leaders from around the world who are invested in deploying practical and timely innovations to protect the planet.
Sand to Green Co-founder and Chief Agricultural Officer, Wissal Ben Moussa, says, “Attending the ChangeNOW Summit was a transformative experience, highlighting the critical need for sustainable innovation and the power of collective action in addressing global challenges. The event showcased groundbreaking technologies and solutions in areas such as renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and the circular economy, emphasising the role of innovation in combating climate change and environmental degradation. The summit reinforced our commitment to sustainable development and the urgency of implementing solutions that have a positive impact on the planet and society.”
Protecting people and planet
Across the deserts of southern Morocco, Sand to Green is harnessing the ancient wisdom of oasis science to combat desertification and transform barren landscapes. Through a combination of traditional knowledge and cutting-edge technology, the start-up is paving the way for sustainable agriculture in arid regions, offering a beacon of hope in the fight against desertification.
And this is no mirage. Agroforestry is not just about greening deserts: it is a powerful tool for ensuring food security and mitigating population displacement caused by desertification. Cultivating diverse crops alongside trees not only reclaims barren land but also provides sustenance for communities facing drought and famine.
As Sand to Green continues to expand, its positive influences on food security, job creation and environmental conservation promise to be profound, demonstrating the power of innovation in addressing pressing global challenges.
This Earth Day, let us recognise the role of agroforestry in nourishing both the land and its people, creating resilience in the face of environmental challenges and combating the growing threat of desertification.
Understanding regional vegetation dynamics and historical changes in rocky desertification is crucial for assessing the sustainability and potential of afforestation in karst regions.
In a study published in Earth’s Future on April 5, researchers led by Prof. Wang Kelin from the Institute of Subtropical Agriculture of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have found that maize cultivation and tree felling three hundred years ago triggered severe rocky desertification in the karst area of southwest China.
Scientists have developed a method to identify historical human disturbances using dating methods from karst depression sediments, including 137Cs, 210Pbex and charcoal 14C. The first-ever pollen record in karst depression sediments, combined with comprehensive dating methods and historical documents was presented.
According to the researchers, the forest evolution in southwest Guangxi is divided into three stages of “virgin forest-deforestation-sparse tree planting,” over the past three centuries. It was probably a lush mixed deciduous and coniferous forest at the beginning. However, maize cultivation, along with explosive population growth and migration, accelerated mountain reclamation and deforestation, leading to severe rocky desertification around the 1780s. Since the 1930s, sparse afforestation has taken place, increasing economic benefits.
They conclude that the introduction of maize, population growth, and migration accelerated mountain reclamation and deforestation, leading to historical rocky desertification in the region, making it difficult for some karst areas to restore forest landscapes.
“Previous studies on historical rocky desertification and human activities in karst areas were mainly relied on historical literature records,” said Prof. Yue Yuemin, corresponding author of the study.
“Our findings, for the first time, provide important scientific evidence and basis for establishing ecological restoration baselines and implementing precise afforestation and grassland restoration in karst areas.”
More information: Yuemin Yue et al, Maize Cultivation Three Hundred Years Ago Triggered Severe Rocky Desertification in Southwest China, Earth’s Future (2024). DOI: 10.1029/2023EF004349
Oases are important habitats and water sources for dryland regions, sustaining 10% of the world’s population despite taking up about 1.5% of land area. But in many places, climate change and anthropogenic activities threaten oases’ fragile existence. New research shows how the world’s oases have grown and shrunk over the past 25 years as water availability patterns have changed and desertification encroaches on these wet refuges.
“Although the scientific community has always emphasized the importance of oases, there has not been a clear map of the global distribution of oases,” said Dongwei Gui, a geoscientist at the Chinese Academy of Science, who led the study. “Oasis research has both theoretical and practical significance for achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and promoting sustainable development in arid regions.”
The study found that oases around the world grew by more than 220,149 square kilometers (85,000 square miles) from 1995 to 2020, mostly due to intentional oasis expansion projects in Asia. But desertification drove the loss of 134,300 square kilometers (51,854 square miles) of oasis over the same period, also mostly in Asia, leading to a net growth of 86,500 square kilometers (about 33,400 square miles) over the study period.
The findings highlight the risk that climate change and anthropogenic stressors pose to these wet sanctuaries, and can inform water resource management and sustainable development in arid regions. The study was published in Earth’s Future.
The birth and death of an oasis
Oases are important sources of water for humans, plants and animals in the world’s drylands, supporting a majority of productivity and life in deserts. They form when groundwater flows and settles into low-lying areas, or when surface meltwater flows downslope from adjacent mountain ranges and pools. The existence of an oasis depends primarily on having a reliable source of water that is not rainfall. Today, oases are found in 37 countries; 77% of oases are located in Asia, and 13% are found in Australia.
Gui and his co-investigators wanted to understand the global distribution and dynamic changes of oases and investigate their responses to a changing environment, such as variations in climate, water resources and human activities. Using data from the European Space Agency’s Climate Change Initiative Land Cover Product, the team categorized the land surface into seven categories: forest, grassland, shrub, cropland, water, urban and desert.
The researchers used satellite data to look for green, vegetated areas within dryland areas, indicating an oasis, and tracked changes over 25 years. Changes in the greenness of vegetation indicated changes in land use and oasis health, the latter of which can be influenced by both human activity and climate change. They also looked at changes in land surface type to find conversions of land use.
The researchers found that global oasis area increased by 220,800 square kilometers (85,251 square miles) over the 25-year timeframe. Most of that increase was from humans intentionally converting desert land into oases using runoff water and groundwater pumping, creating grasslands and croplands.
The increase was concentrated in China, where management efforts have contributed more than 60% of the growth, Gui said. For example, more than 95% of the population in China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region lives within an oasis, motivating conservation and a 16,700 square kilometers (6,448 square miles) expansion of the oasis, Gui said.
Countering human efforts to expand oases, desertification contributed to oasis loss. Worldwide, the researchers found that there was a loss of more than 134,000 square kilometers (51,738 square miles) of oasis land over the past 25 years. The researchers estimate that changes to oases have directly affected about 34 million people around the world.
Overall, between gains and losses, oases had a net growth of 86,500 square kilometers (33,397 square miles) from 1995 to 2020—but most gains were from the artificial expansion of oases, which may not be sustainable in the future.
Long-term oasis sustainability
The study highlighted ways to sustain healthy oases, including suggestions for improving water resource management, promoting sustainable land use and management and encouraging water conservation and efficient use. These efforts are especially important as the climate continues to change, Gui said.
Humans’ over-exploitation of dwindling groundwater can limit oasis sustainability, as well as long-term glacier loss. While higher temperatures increase glacier melt, temporarily boosting oases’ water supplies, “as glaciers gradually disappear, the yield of meltwater will eventually decrease, leading to the shrinkage of oases once again,” Gui said.
International cooperation plays a crucial role in oasis sustainability, Gui said.
“Due to the unique mechanism of oasis formation, a river basin often nurtures multiple oases across several countries, making transboundary cooperation key to addressing water scarcity and promoting sustainable development,” he said.
More information: Bochao Cui et al, Distribution and Growth Drivers of Oases at a Global Scale, Earth’s Future (2024). DOI: 10.1029/2023EF004086
The Crisis of Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought, and the Importance of Land Restoration
Desertification, land degradation, and drought (DLDD) are a silent and invisible crisis that affects people and the planet. As human life requires fertile and productive lands for many essential activities, desertification represents an important obstacle to sustainable development and an aggravator of poverty, poor health, lack of food security, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, forced migration, and lowered resilience to climate change or natural disasters. Estimates indicate that human-induced land degradation affects at least 1.6 billion hectares worldwide, directly affecting 3.2 billion people.
While desertification impacts mostly dryland areas, droughts have become a common event in many areas of the world. The ntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) finds medium confidence that agricultural and ecological droughts have increased in several regions on all continents, with variable certainty of human-induced climate change impact on these changes (Chapter 11 of the IPCC AR6 of Working Group 1 – 2021).
As the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste impact the health of land it is essential to halt human activities that lead to land degradation and work towards restoring land to protect livelihoods, climate, and biodiversity. According to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), restoring degraded land globally could lock away three billion tonnes of atmospheric carbon into the soil every year, supporting the achievement of the 1.5° target. Land restoration is also essential to ensure human rights, sustainable development, food security, employment, disaster risk reduction, ecological benefits, and improved public health.
Desertification
Desertification is defined as land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, mostly climatic variations and human activities (UNCCD, 1994). Although the term can include the encroachment of sand dunes on land, it does not refer to the expansion of existing deserts. It occurs, however, because dryland ecosystems, which cover over one-third of the world’s land area, are extremely vulnerable to overexploitation and inappropriate land use. In the past decades, the range and intensity of desertification have increased, reaching approximately 30 to 35 times the historical rate and the risks from desertification are projected to increase due to climate change (IPCC, 2019). While being a hard process to quantify, desertification is characterized by declining vegetation productivity, reduced agricultural productivity and biodiversity loss (IPCC, 2019).
According to the IPCC, the major human drivers of desertification interacting with climate change are the expansion of croplands, unsustainable land management practices and increased pressure on land from population and income growth. On the other hand, desertification exacerbates climate change through several mechanisms such as changes in vegetation cover, sand and dust aerosols and greenhouse gas fluxes.
Drought
Meteorologically, drought is defined as a prolonged absence or marked deficiency of precipitation that can be characterized as a period of abnormally dry weather with a sufficiently prolonged lack of precipitation as to cause a serious hydrological imbalance (WMO, 1992). Other definitions include impacts like hydrological imbalances that adversely affect land resource productions systems (UNCCD, 1994; Article 1). Put into other words, drought is a climatic phenomenon that can occur almost anywhere in the world when there is a significant decrease in water availability (atmospheric, surface, soil, or groundwater) over a period of weeks to years. Climate change is increasing the frequencies and/or magnitudes of droughts in many regions of the world (IPCC, 2021).
Droughts are among the greatest threats to sustainable development, especially in developing countries, but increasingly so in developed nations too. In fact, forecasts estimate that by 2050 droughts may affect over three-quarters of the world’s population.The number and duration of droughts has increased by 29 percent since 2000, as compared to the two previous decades (WMO 2021). When more than 2.3 billion people already face water stress, this is a huge problem.
The UN Convention to Combat Desertification’s 2022 report Droughts in Numbers finds that the African continent has been the most impacted by droughts in the past century, with over 300 episodes and bearing an important death and economic toll around the world. Projections indicate that by 2050, droughts may affect over three-quarters of the world’s population, and an estimated 4.8-5.7 billion people will live in areas that are water-scarce for at least one month each year, up from 3.6 billion today. Up to 216 million people could be forced to migrate by 2050, largely due to drought in combination with other factors including water scarcity, declining crop productivity, sea-level rise, and overpopulation.
Land Degradation and Restoration
The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) defines land degradation as “the many human-caused processes that drive the decline or loss in biodiversity, ecosystem functions or ecosystem services in any terrestrial and associated aquatic ecosystems”, and restoration as “any intentional activity that initiates or accelerates the recovery of an ecosystem from a degraded state”. Land degradation affects ecosystem functions worldwide disrupts rainfall patterns, exacerbates extreme weather like droughts or floods, and drives further climate change and it is connected with instability, which drives poverty, conflict, and migration.
On the other hand, land restoration is the ecological process of restoring a natural and safe landscape for humans, wildlife, and plant communities (UNCCD). Through land restoration, it is possible to reinstate the land’s function to store carbon, to prevent droughts and floods and increase soil productivity. Land restoration can bring economic benefits amounting to USD 30 for every dollar invested in restoration (UNEP, 2021). Restoration boosts livelihoods, lowers poverty and builds resilience to extreme weather. Restoration increases carbon storage and slows climate change. Restoring just 15 per cent of land and halting further conversation could avoid up to 60 per cent of expected species extinctions.
In an unprecedented move, the final months of 2024 will mark a historic alignment in the global environmental calendar. For the first time, the three pivotal Rio conventions — on biological diversity, climate change, and desertification — will take place in consecutive months: October, November and December.
This scheduling is not just a matter of logistics, but also represents a significant opportunity to foster an integrated approach to addressing some of the planet’s most pressing environmental issues. At these gatherings, leaders will share a platform for synergizing efforts across different, but interconnected, environmental challenges, setting the stage for a unified global response.
The origins of these conventions date back to the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, a landmark event in global environmental diplomacy. Amid growing concerns over the degradation of Earth’s ecosystems and the looming threat of climate change, the international community came together to lay the foundation for sustainable development. The conventions were born out of a collective realization: We needed to take action, on behalf of the planet and on behalf of our shared civilization. Each subsequent convention set out with distinct objectives: preserving biodiversity, combating climate change, and halting desertification, respectively. Together, they push forth a holistic approach to sustainability and environmental protection.
The Climate Change Convention, or COP, often dominates public and media discourse, overshadowing its counterparts due to the immediacy and visibility of climate-related disasters. In contrast, the Convention on Desertification addresses the less visible, but equally severe, issue of land degradation. This convention tackles not just desertification in the narrow sense but a broader spectrum of land degradation challenges affecting food security and environmental sustainability. Misconceptions about desertification — often seen as a localized or less urgent issue — undermine the critical importance of combating land degradation on a global scale.
The attention paid to the Climate Change Convention should come as no surprise. According to the Brookings Institute, increasingly more attention is paid each year by the public to the issues of climate change. There were almost 50,000 attendees at COP28, while the COP15 conference on desertification in Cote D’Ivoire attracted only 7,000 attendees. Desertification, like other forms of land degradation, is catastrophic in its own right, however: It threatens our food system and, as a result, our entire way of life.
Amid growing concerns over the degradation of Earth’s ecosystems, the international community came together to lay the foundation for sustainable development.
That is not all. Desertification even threatens the air that we breathe. The way it works is this. When land turns into desert, soil carbon is released into the atmosphere, and mixing with nitrous oxide, it, too, contributes to climate change. COP15 ought to have won more attention, it is clear, once we understand the impact that land degradation can have on our life — and the degree to which the media has often missed the mark reporting on it.
As we understand the danger that desertification poses, we should understand then the opportunity that we have to position it alongside climate change as one of the great challenges that our global society faces. Hosting the three conventions consecutively presents a multitude of benefits. It underscores, perhaps most critically, the interconnectedness of their core issues — biodiversity loss, climate change, and desertification — and highlights the need for a coordinated approach. This integrated scheduling can enhance efficiency, foster stronger international collaboration, and amplify the global response to environmental crises. By convening stakeholders from diverse sectors and regions, the conventions can leverage shared knowledge and strategies, creating a more cohesive and impactful environmental agenda.
The unique scheduling of the Rio conventions in 2024 thus presents an unparalleled opportunity for global environmental action. It is a clarion call to governments, NGOs, and the international community to harness this moment for greater collaboration, and a more holistic approach to solving the planet’s environmental challenges. This convergence should serve as a catalyst for dialogue and innovation in the way we organize and conduct these vital global forums. By seizing this moment, we can foster a more coordinated and effective response to the environmental crises that threaten our planet, ensuring a healthier, more sustainable world for present and future generations.
I am calling on governments, NGOs, and the international community at large to seize this moment, leveraging the three conventions in a cross-sectorial integration manner that also applies a collective impact methodology and mindset in order to champion a more holistic and comprehensive approach to solving our environment’s challenges. Let us open a new dialogue — one that covers all the difficulties that our present and future generations are up against.
Desertification and land degradation come with a massive economic toll, estimated at up to $15 trillion, and humanity is losing 100 million hectares annually. The UN projects that the vast majority of the world’s arable land will be completely depleted within 45 to 60 years. With one-third of the Earth’s land being desert, it’s crucial to devise strategies and technologies to rehabilitate regions impacted by human-driven desertification.
In a world facing escalating challenges of soil degradation, desertification, and food security, Triunity Green emerges as a beacon of hope with its revolutionary approach to sustainable agriculture and land management. By harnessing the power of cutting-edge nanotechnology, their innovative methods not only address critical environmental issues but also offer significant opportunities for profitability in the agricultural sector. Triunity Green is revolutionizing the way people think about desert agriculture, offering a sustainable and economically viable solution to the pressing challenges of soil loss, water scarcity, and food security.
Harnessing Nanotechnology to Overcome Desert Challenges
Deserts, with their arid conditions and poor soil quality, have long been considered largely inhospitable to agriculture. However, Triunity Green’s innovative Nano Ionic Biomimetic Matrix is challenging this status quo. Engineered at the nanoscale, this advanced material encapsulates a bespoke powder matrix rich in micronutrients and bioactive agents essential for plant morphogenesis, enabling optimal plant growth even in the harshest desert environments.
“By addressing the inherent challenges of water retention, nutrient availability, and plant growth in sand environments, we are unlocking the agricultural potential of deserts, creating the opportunity for profitable ventures that contribute to global food security and economic development.” explains a spokesperson for Triunity Green.
Sustainable and Profitable Agriculture in Desert Landscapes
Triunity Green’s innovative approach to desert agriculture aims to create thriving ecosystems capable of producing abundant and nutritious food. By optimizing water management and nutrient delivery through their Nano Ionic Biomimetic Matrix, Triunity Green can achieve substantial resource conservation, reducing water consumption, fertilizer usage, and energy expenditure by up to 70%. “Desert agriculture has the potential to be both sustainable and profitable,” says the spokesperson. “This innovative technology not only makes it possible to grow crops in desert environments but also offers significant economic benefits, stimulating investment, job creation, and economic growth in regions previously considered unsuitable for agriculture.”
A Paradigm Shift in Sustainable Agriculture
By pioneering advancements at the nexus of nanotechnology and plant science, Triunity Green is heralding a new epoch in agriculture. Their interdisciplinary innovation ensures biomechanically superior anchorage and nuanced control over hydric and nutritional dynamics, transforming ordinary sand into a rich and sustainable soil-like analogue.
Triunity Green represents a groundbreaking advancement in the field of sustainable agriculture. “Our methods not only revolutionize the landscape of sand-mediated phytotechnologies but also pave the way for unparalleled precision in both sustainable and restorative agriculture. This marks a significant paradigm shift in the symbiotic relationship between plants and engineered substrates, setting new standards for profitability and environmental stewardship,“ says the spokesperson in Triunity Green.
Empowering Communities Through Sustainable Development
In addition to transforming deserts into profitable agricultural ventures, Triunity Green is committed to empowering local communities through sustainable development and education. By partnering with local governments, organizations, and farmers, Triunity Green fosters community engagement and capacity building, equipping people with the knowledge and resources they need to participate in and benefit from sustainable agricultural practices.
“Community engagement is at the heart of our mission,” emphasizes the spokesperson. “By empowering local communities to participate in sustainable desert agriculture, we are creating opportunities for economic growth, social development, and environmental stewardship, fostering a brighter and more prosperous future for all.”
Investing in a Sustainable Future
As the global community grapples with the urgent need to protect and restore the natural environment, the adoption of profitable and sustainable methods becomes increasingly crucial. By accelerating the transition to innovative solutions that prioritize both environmental sustainability and profitability, it can ensure a brighter and more prosperous future for all.
“As stewards of our planet, we must recognize that our existence is intricately linked to the health and vitality of our soil and environment,” emphasizes the spokesperson. “By leveraging biomimicry and investing in advanced scientific technologies, we can elucidate the intricacies of natural ecosystems and develop innovative solutions that foster a synergistic, profitable, and sustainable coexistence between humanity and the environment.”
Triunity Green is committed to creating a sustainable future by developing innovative technologies and practices that restore and regenerate the natural environment and urban landscapes. With a focus on creating regenerative, resilient, and profitable agricultural and urban land management systems, Triunity Green aims to address the pressing challenges of soil degradation, desertification, urbanization, and food security through the application of cutting-edge nanotechnology and plant science.
Desertification and land degradation come with a massive economic toll, estimated at up to $15 trillion, and humanity is losing 100 million hectares annually. The UN projects that the vast majority of the world’s…
Desertification and land degradation come with a massive economic toll, estimated at up to $15 trillion, and humanity is losing 100 million hectares annually. The UN projects that the vast majority of the world’s arable land will be completely depleted within 45 to 60 years. With one-third of the Earth’s land being desert, it’s crucial to devise strategies and technologies to rehabilitate regions impacted by human-driven desertification.
In a world facing escalating challenges of soil degradation, desertification, and food security, Triunity Green emerges as a beacon of hope with its revolutionary approach to sustainable agriculture and land management. By harnessing the power of cutting-edge nanotechnology, their innovative methods not only address critical environmental issues but also offer significant opportunities for profitability in the agricultural sector. Triunity Green is revolutionizing the way people think about desert agriculture, offering a sustainable and economically viable solution to the pressing challenges of soil loss, water scarcity, and food security.
Harnessing Nanotechnology to Overcome Desert Challenges
Deserts, with their arid conditions and poor soil quality, have long been considered largely inhospitable to agriculture. However, Triunity Green’s innovative Nano Ionic Biomimetic Matrix is challenging this status quo. Engineered at the nanoscale, this advanced material encapsulates a bespoke powder matrix rich in micronutrients and bioactive agents essential for plant morphogenesis, enabling optimal plant growth even in the harshest desert environments.
“By addressing the inherent challenges of water retention, nutrient availability, and plant growth in sand environments, we are unlocking the agricultural potential of deserts, creating the opportunity for profitable ventures that contribute to global food security and economic development.” explains a spokesperson for Triunity Green.
Sustainable and Profitable Agriculture in Desert Landscapes
Triunity Green’s innovative approach to desert agriculture aims to create thriving ecosystems capable of producing abundant and nutritious food. By optimizing water management and nutrient delivery through their Nano Ionic Biomimetic Matrix, Triunity Green can achieve substantial resource conservation, reducing water consumption, fertilizer usage, and energy expenditure by up to 70%. “Desert agriculture has the potential to be both sustainable and profitable,” says the spokesperson. “This innovative technology not only makes it possible to grow crops in desert environments but also offers significant economic benefits, stimulating investment, job creation, and economic growth in regions previously considered unsuitable for agriculture.”
A Paradigm Shift in Sustainable Agriculture
By pioneering advancements at the nexus of nanotechnology and plant science, Triunity Green is heralding a new epoch in agriculture. Their interdisciplinary innovation ensures biomechanically superior anchorage and nuanced control over hydric and nutritional dynamics, transforming ordinary sand into a rich and sustainable soil-like analogue.
Triunity Green represents a groundbreaking advancement in the field of sustainable agriculture. “Our methods not only revolutionize the landscape of sand-mediated phytotechnologies but also pave the way for unparalleled precision in both sustainable and restorative agriculture. This marks a significant paradigm shift in the symbiotic relationship between plants and engineered substrates, setting new standards for profitability and environmental stewardship,“ says the spokesperson in Triunity Green.
Empowering Communities Through Sustainable Development
In addition to transforming deserts into profitable agricultural ventures, Triunity Green is committed to empowering local communities through sustainable development and education. By partnering with local governments, organizations, and farmers, Triunity Green fosters community engagement and capacity building, equipping people with the knowledge and resources they need to participate in and benefit from sustainable agricultural practices.
“Community engagement is at the heart of our mission,” emphasizes the spokesperson. “By empowering local communities to participate in sustainable desert agriculture, we are creating opportunities for economic growth, social development, and environmental stewardship, fostering a brighter and more prosperous future for all.”
Investing in a Sustainable Future
As the global community grapples with the urgent need to protect and restore the natural environment, the adoption of profitable and sustainable methods becomes increasingly crucial. By accelerating the transition to innovative solutions that prioritize both environmental sustainability and profitability, it can ensure a brighter and more prosperous future for all.
“As stewards of our planet, we must recognize that our existence is intricately linked to the health and vitality of our soil and environment,” emphasizes the spokesperson. “By leveraging biomimicry and investing in advanced scientific technologies, we can elucidate the intricacies of natural ecosystems and develop innovative solutions that foster a synergistic, profitable, and sustainable coexistence between humanity and the environment.”
Triunity Green is committed to creating a sustainable future by developing innovative technologies and practices that restore and regenerate the natural environment and urban landscapes. With a focus on creating regenerative, resilient, and profitable agricultural and urban land management systems, Triunity Green aims to address the pressing challenges of soil degradation, desertification, urbanization, and food security through the application of cutting-edge nanotechnology and plant science.
In an unprecedented move, the final months of 2024 will mark a historic alignment in the global environmental calendar. For the first time, the three pivotal Rio conventions — on biological diversity, climate change, and desertification — will take place in consecutive months: October, November and December.
This scheduling is not just a matter of logistics, but also represents a significant opportunity to foster an integrated approach to addressing some of the planet’s most pressing environmental issues. At these gatherings, leaders will share a platform for synergizing efforts across different, but interconnected, environmental challenges, setting the stage for a unified global response.
The origins of these conventions date back to the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, a landmark event in global environmental diplomacy. Amid growing concerns over the degradation of Earth’s ecosystems and the looming threat of climate change, the international community came together to lay the foundation for sustainable development. The conventions were born out of a collective realization: We needed to take action, on behalf of the planet and on behalf of our shared civilization. Each subsequent convention set out with distinct objectives: preserving biodiversity, combating climate change, and halting desertification, respectively. Together, they push forth a holistic approach to sustainability and environmental protection.
The Climate Change Convention, or COP, often dominates public and media discourse, overshadowing its counterparts due to the immediacy and visibility of climate-related disasters. In contrast, the Convention on Desertification addresses the less visible, but equally severe, issue of land degradation. This convention tackles not just desertification in the narrow sense but a broader spectrum of land degradation challenges affecting food security and environmental sustainability. Misconceptions about desertification — often seen as a localized or less urgent issue — undermine the critical importance of combating land degradation on a global scale.
The attention paid to the Climate Change Convention should come as no surprise. According to the Brookings Institute, increasingly more attention is paid each year by the public to the issues of climate change. There were almost 50,000 attendees at COP28, while the COP15 conference on desertification in Cote D’Ivoire attracted only 7,000 attendees. Desertification, like other forms of land degradation, is catastrophic in its own right, however: It threatens our food system and, as a result, our entire way of life.
Amid growing concerns over the degradation of Earth’s ecosystems, the international community came together to lay the foundation for sustainable development.
That is not all. Desertification even threatens the air that we breathe. The way it works is this. When land turns into desert, soil carbon is released into the atmosphere, and mixing with nitrous oxide, it, too, contributes to climate change. COP15 ought to have won more attention, it is clear, once we understand the impact that land degradation can have on our life — and the degree to which the media has often missed the mark reporting on it.
As we understand the danger that desertification poses, we should understand then the opportunity that we have to position it alongside climate change as one of the great challenges that our global society faces. Hosting the three conventions consecutively presents a multitude of benefits. It underscores, perhaps most critically, the interconnectedness of their core issues — biodiversity loss, climate change, and desertification — and highlights the need for a coordinated approach. This integrated scheduling can enhance efficiency, foster stronger international collaboration, and amplify the global response to environmental crises. By convening stakeholders from diverse sectors and regions, the conventions can leverage shared knowledge and strategies, creating a more cohesive and impactful environmental agenda.
The unique scheduling of the Rio conventions in 2024 thus presents an unparalleled opportunity for global environmental action. It is a clarion call to governments, NGOs, and the international community to harness this moment for greater collaboration, and a more holistic approach to solving the planet’s environmental challenges. This convergence should serve as a catalyst for dialogue and innovation in the way we organize and conduct these vital global forums. By seizing this moment, we can foster a more coordinated and effective response to the environmental crises that threaten our planet, ensuring a healthier, more sustainable world for present and future generations.
I am calling on governments, NGOs, and the international community at large to seize this moment, leveraging the three conventions in a cross-sectorial integration manner that also applies a collective impact methodology and mindset in order to champion a more holistic and comprehensive approach to solving our environment’s challenges. Let us open a new dialogue — one that covers all the difficulties that our present and future generations are up against.
Allan explains how livestock grazing is often demonised as being a major factor behind climate change and desertification but this is incorrect, livestock is not the problem, it is part of the solution. It is our mismanagement of resources and how we graze livestock that is the issue.
The Four Key Insights For Grassland
During his career as an ecologist in Africa, Allan saw how through the removal of people and grazing animals, including extermination of 40,000 elephants, in National Parks that the former opinion was incorrect because desertification in fact increased in these areas. This finding was also mirrored in many areas in the United States where stock had been excluded.
Through observations and reflections, Allan, working with others, developed what was termed the four key insights, patterns, that keep grassland in good health, prevent desertification and promote productivity:
Nature functions in wholes
The brittleness scale
Predator-prey connection
Plant and soil recovery time
The brittleness scale (1-10) reflects how well humidity is distributed through the year and how quickly vegetation breaks down. The level of brittleness (1 – evergreen tropical rain forest, 10 – true desert) impacts how an environment responds to influences and management such as grazing.
What Allan observed in brittle environments was that over-grazing by livestock leads to bare ground, poor water retention and desertification. However equally removing grazing altogether also leads to desertification. This is because in such dry environments, biological decay doesn’t occur without grazing animals, but leads instead to oxidation of dead material in the absence of biological decay. This, in turn leads to deterioration in plant communities and bare ground emerges.
A Shift Away From Continuous Grazing
The solution they found was to shift away from continuous grazing to a grazing system that mimics herds of migratory ruminants. This means, periods of short duration high stock density grazing, followed by long rest periods between grazing to allow full plant root recovery. With the animal’s saliva, urine and faeces stimulating biological breakdown of plant matter and greater herd impact creating a strong trampling effect leading to better ground cover and returning organic matter to the soil.
Allan however recognised that a grazing strategy alone was not sufficient to tackle natures complexity, or the social, environmental and economic complexity required to keep the human population on the land.
From this observation emerged the development of the Holistic Management Decision Making Framework and the four planning and monitoring procedures for land managers of Holistic-Financial Planning; Planned Grazing, Ecological Monitoring; Land Planning. We’ll discuss these further in the rest of this four part series.
Part 2: Holistic Decision-Making Framework
As outlined above, Holistic Management is more than just a grazing system, it is a decision-making framework that allows the user, farmers and land managers to simultaneously address the social, environmental, and economic complexities at play to develop soundness in both the short and long term.
The Whole Is Greater Than The Sum Of Its Parts
The first key insight found during the development of the Holistic Management method was that nature functions in wholes and patterns, ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts’. Relationships exist between different aspects of the whole meaning removing or altering one aspect will inadvertently impact another, often negatively.
The Holistic Management Framework, shown in Table 1, moves away from Reductionist Management where decisions are based on only one or few factors to solve short term needs or problems to instead understanding that as above the world functions in wholes and that actions do not happen in isolation.
Under Holistic Management, before moving to decision making and actions, we must first establish our ‘Whole Under Management’ and ‘Holistic Context’, these are then referred to during decision making to ensure that the social, environmental, and economic factors are all accounted for.
Defining your Whole Under Management is to clarify what you are managing. Each of us is responsible for managing at least one whole, ourselves, but there may be several larger wholes such as a family, a farm or a business.
In clarifying the whole, three key things must be identified:
The decision makers – identifying those directly involved in the management of the whole.
The resource base -this includes physical and human resources:
Land, buildings, equipment and other assets on which you will generate revenue or derive support,
The people who influence or are influenced by your management.
The money available or that you can generate from the resource base.
Knowing who and what your whole includes helps determine who makes management decisions, who merely influences the decisions made and it helps put boundaries around what you will or will not manage.
By referring back to the Whole Under Management when making decisions this ensures that actions are not taken that may impact, for example, the land or people without this being considered. It makes you more aware and thoughtful when making decisions but also more aware of resources available that can be utilised for better management decisions.
Part 3: Holistic Context
Previously we discussed how, before moving to decision making and actions, under Holistic Management, the user must first establish their ‘Whole Under Management’ and ‘Holistic Context’, these are then referred back to during decision making to ensure that the social, environmental, and economic factors are all accounted for.
To quickly revisit the concept of ‘Whole Under Management’, defining the Whole Under Management clarifies three key things:
The decision makers – those directly involved in its management.
The resource base which includes physical resources, such as land, and the people who influence or are influenced by your management.
The money available or that you can generate from the resource base.
The decision makers identified in the whole, must then create one all-embracing holistic context. This will be referred to often when making day to-day management decisions and when developing strategies which traditionally have been framed within a much narrower context.
Defining your Holistic Context
The holistic context has two and sometimes three aspects:
Quality of life – an expression of the way you want your lives to be within the whole under management. Four areas to consider for this are economic well-being, relationships, challenge and growth and purpose and contribution.
Future resource base – a description of the environment/land base, referring to the four ecosystem services, and people behaviours that will be required to sustain that quality of life for your successors.
Statement of Purpose – If you are managing an organisation formed for a specific purpose, then state in a single sentence that purpose prior to creating the context as this will inform the rest.
Once the whole under management and holistic context are defined, decision making can proceed, with selection of appropriate tools and actions. Now when making decisions the holistic context is used to ensure that you do not lose sight of what is meaningful to you in both the short and long term, the quality of life for those within the whole and the health of the environment that sustains it.
To do this you should run through the seven context check questions to filter out any actions that may not be in context and so not socially, environmentally and economically sound.
The Seven Context Checks
1 Cause and effect: Does the action address the root cause of the problem?
2 Weak link: What is the weakest link in the situation? Would this action create a further weak link or does it positively address a weak link in either social, biological or financial goals and objectives?
3 Marginal reaction: Does it provide a greater return, in terms of time and money spent, than other possible actions? (only used when comparing two or more actions).
4 Gross profit analysis: Which of two or more possible enterprises provides the best gross profit? Which enterprise contributes the most to covering the overheads of the business? (only used when comparing two or more enterprises).
5 Energy/money source and use: Is the energy or money to be used in this action derived from the most appropriate source, and will it be used in the most appropriate way, based on the holistic context?
6 Sustainability: Will this action lead toward or away from future resource base (environment, economic and social) described in the holistic context?
7 Gut feel: Based on the picture that has emerged, how do you feel about this action now – how will it affect your quality of life and that of others? This must be the final question asked.
Following the context questions, a process which becomes faster with familiarity, you may then want to modify how you implement the action, abandon it altogether, or in some cases go ahead anyway knowing that sooner or later you will have to deal with some of the reasons it didn’t pass. When going ahead with any plan/action monitoring is essential, and we will discuss that in our fourth and final section article.
Part 4: Holistic Planning
In the final part of this series we’ll take a look at the four Holistic Planning and Monitoring Procedures. Allan Savory states that, when these procedures are used alongside the Holistic Decision Making Framework, land managers can regenerate land, improve productivity, increase profitability and improve the quality of life of those who rely on the resources managed.
Managing The Feedback Loop
Key to Holistic Planning, in addition to referring back to your Context, is the Feedback Loop shown below, to ensure through monitoring and replanning that plans and actions are not deviating from the goal or objective with the action.
The Feedback Loop: Savory Institute
Whilst, defining your whole and holistic context can be for anyone or any entity, be that an individual, a family, a farm or a company unrelated to agriculture, the four main Holistic Planning and Monitoring procedures are developed to be specifically applicable to agriculture and land management.
Holistic Financial Planning
Good financial management is essential for any business that seeks to be viable and profitable. This is a simple, easy to use cash based financial planning process which starts by firstly reviewing the current years plan, then forward budgeting focusing first on the income and profit required before planning expenses.
Two key elements of the planning process are enterprise specific budgeting to ensure that each enterprise is contributing and there is not a weak link (often neglected) and checking for context alignment to ensure that social and environmental goals are met alongside financial.
Holistic Planned Grazing, Land Planning, and Ecological Monitoring
Holistic Planned Grazing is a procedure for planning the livestock grazing strategy, moves and paddocks, including the use of a grazing chart, to restore degraded land to health, grow more grass and promote livestock productivity whilst integrating crop, wildlife and other land uses.
Holistic Land Planning is a framework to effectively and economically plan the infrastructure required on that land for livestock to effectively graze. It can also be used for arable cropping.
Holistic Ecological Monitoring has three parts:
Monitor the four ecosystem processes (water cycle, mineral cycle, energy flow and community dynamics).
Monitor livestock growth rates, water supplies and unfavourable grazing patterns.
Monitor your management when trying something new to understand its effects quickly on points 1 and 2. By monitoring we can have an early warning sign that something is wrong.
Whilst the merits of Holistic Planned Grazing in reference to grazing pasture covers much taller and with greater rest periods than conventional grazing systems these approaches are up for debate for many Scottish farms. This is because of potential production impacts and the fact that, in a non-brittle environment, desertification is not an issue. It is clear to me in review that the Holistic Management Framework, defining your Whole Under Management and Holistic Context as well as the Holistic Planning processes could have considerable value for individuals and farm businesses open to trying them.
In particular, defining your Whole Under Management, the resources and people available and that your decision making will impact, and your Holistic Context, your desired quality of life, what you want your future resource base to look like and a statement of purpose has real benefits for the user as by referring back to these during decision making this ensures that all social, environmental, and economic factors are taken into account. That on a quest to produce often more output we don’t lose sight of true profitability or take actions that are socially (e.g. work life balance for you, your family and staff) or environmentally detrimental.
A free introductory eBook, The Foundations of Holistic Management, is available through the Savory Institute website for those who would like to learn more: Savory Institute – Free eBook
DRY … Namibia has made some notable strides in addressing drought, land degradation, desertification, climate change and a loss of biodiversity. Photo: Absalom Shigwedha
Namibia has finalised efforts to participate in the Africa Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFRO 100), which aims to restore 100 million ha of land in Africa by 2030.
This is according to a senior official in the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism.
Natalia Nakashona says the roadmap for Namibia to take part in this initiative was submitted to the AFRO 100 secretariat in Pretoria last year.
The AFRO 100 is set to complement the Bonn Challenge, which is a global goal aimed at restoring 150 million ha of degraded and deforested land by 2020, and 350 million ha by 2030, as well as the African Union-led Great Green Wall Initiative, which aims to restore 100 million ha of land, sequester 250 million tonnes of carbon, and create 10 million jobs in Africa.
Participating in the AFRO 100 is one of the goals Namibia has achieved towards the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), says Nakashona.
She made a presentation at the two-day second bi-annual meeting of the national committee on the Rio Conventions i Windhoek last week.
The meeting was on the progress Namibia has made during 2023/24 under the UNCCD.
Nakashona said a working group to coordinate the implementation of this endeavour is yet to be established.
She said Namibia has secured US$150 000 to implement the Great Green Wall Innovation Programme from the Global Environment Facility, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme.
Namibia has also secured US$20 000 from the secretariat of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity for the implementation of a bio-bridge project, focusing on the little unfinished work on land degradation and knowledge management in the Ohangwena and Kunene regions.
This is in an effort to attain land degradation neutrality (LDN) in Namibia.
Thus far, the environment ministry has appointed a consultant to do LND data analysis, and has secured two interns to assist with LDN soil samples and data processing.
Nakashona said Namibia has also completed its national action plan for the implementation of the Great Grean Wall Initiative.
She said some of the challenges the ministry is experiencing are a lack of interest from development partners to support projects related to these issues, and lack of national data to update the UNCCD reporting and progress.
Meanwhile, Sion Shifa, who deals with climate change issues in the environment ministry, said Namibia has a national framework on carbon markets, and the country is now in the process of establishing a carbon market fund.
He said the ministry, with the financial support from the World Bank, has hired a consultant to work on this.
Shifa said the ministry has also hired a national climate financial adviser, while Namibia’s updated national determined contributions have been approved and submitted to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
In her opening remarks at the meeting, the chief conservation scientist in the ministry, Josefina Kakololo, said addressing issues of climate change, desertification and biodiversity loss in isolation may not be as effective as taking a holistic approach that considers their interdependencies.
She said climate change, biodiversity loss and desertification are interconnected environmental challenges which often exacerbate each other.
Kakololo said the UNFCCC, CBD and the UNCCD share common goals related to environmental protection, sustainable development and resilience building.
Namibia is party to all three global environmental agreements, better known as the Rio Conventions.
“By working together, these conventions can leverage their respective strengths and resources to achieve shared objectives more efficiently,” Kakololo said.
The objective of the meeting was for member institutions to provide updates on the activities they have implemented under the three Rio Conventions strategies since the first national committee on the conventions’ bi-annual meeting last year.
DESERTIFICATION 