Global Call to Restore Our Land: Turning the Tide on Degradation and Drought

As climate change, biodiversity loss, and escalating environmental crises dominate global headlines, one equally dire challenge continues to be marginalized: land degradation. Each year, over 100 million hectares of productive land are lost or severely degraded. The ripple effects are devastating—impacting more than 1.3 billion people, especially those living in regions already beset by poverty, hunger, and limited economic opportunity.

The Multiplier Effect of Land Degradation

Land degradation acts as a force multiplier, exacerbating existing vulnerabilities. In communities where resources are already stretched thin, further environmental degradation accelerates displacement, food insecurity, and economic instability. The degradation of arable land not only diminishes agricultural productivity but also undermines community resilience, leading to greater dependency on humanitarian aid and triggering cycles of poverty.

A Pivotal Global Gathering: The LDN–ILUP Workshop

Amidst this backdrop, the recent Global Land Degradation Neutrality – Integrated Land Use Planning (LDN–ILUP) Inception Workshop in Sandton, South Africa emerged as a beacon of hope. Spanning four days, this milestone event brought together government representatives, technical experts, and development partners from 18 nations. Their mission: to sharpen targets, exchange knowledge, and craft collaborative strategies to combat Desertification, Land Degradation, and Drought (DLDD).

More than just a conference, the workshop signified a global awakening. It acknowledged the urgent need for systemic changes and catalyzed a renewed sense of collective responsibility to rehabilitate degraded land and safeguard the planet’s productivity.

The Essence of Land Degradation Neutrality

Central to the discussions was the principle of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN). LDN aspires to balance the degradation of land with restoration, ensuring no net loss of productive land. This concept is deeply anchored in sustainability and inclusiveness, acknowledging that real, lasting progress hinges on the engagement of grassroots stakeholders—smallholder farmers, herders, indigenous peoples, and local communities.

These are the individuals whose daily choices directly influence land and water resources. Empowering them with knowledge, resources, and incentives to adopt sustainable practices is not optional—it is essential.

South Africa's G20 Leadership: A Catalyst for Change

South Africa’s leadership on this front is especially timely. Presiding over the G20 under the banner "Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability," South Africa is uniquely positioned to elevate DLDD issues onto the global development agenda. The G20, representing the largest global economies, has both the moral and financial capacity to set a transformative example.

The Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG), led by South Africa’s environmental authorities, will concentrate efforts on DLDD alongside biodiversity, ocean health, and climate adaptation. The intention is clear: weave land restoration into the broader tapestry of global development, not as an ancillary concern, but as a fundamental pillar of resilience and sustainability.

Scaling Up Proven Initiatives

For global ambitions to translate into tangible impact, existing frameworks must be scaled. The Changwon Initiative, AFR100 (African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative), the Great Green Wall, and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration represent valuable blueprints for action. These programmes have demonstrated success in regenerating landscapes, improving livelihoods, and building ecological resilience.

Yet scaling these efforts requires not only political will but also robust financing.

Bridging the Financial Gap: The Role of Innovation

One of the workshop’s most pressing calls was the need for increased and innovative financing mechanisms. While entities like the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Global Mechanism of the UNCCD, and governments such as Canada and Germany have been instrumental, the financial needs far exceed current commitments.

There is a clear and urgent need to bridge the gap through blended finance, public-private partnerships, and carbon market mechanisms. South Africa’s G20 presidency will be used as a platform to call upon wealthier nations to honor their responsibilities and step up support for land restoration in developing countries.

Turning Frameworks into Action

The success of LDN and related international environmental goals—such as those set forth in the UNCCD, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Paris Agreement—rests not on paperwork, but on implementation. It is imperative to align high-level policy discussions with the day-to-day challenges of vulnerable populations. Development strategies must be rooted in the lived realities of those on the frontlines of land degradation.

A Global Launchpad, Not Just a Workshop

The Sandton workshop should not be remembered as an isolated event. It must be seen as the ignition point of a larger, coordinated movement. It was a platform where visions turned into commitments, and commitments must now evolve into measurable actions. The international dignitaries, researchers, and civil society representatives in attendance have a shared responsibility to keep the momentum alive.

We are at a crossroads. Either we continue down a path of soil exhaustion and ecosystem collapse, or we invest in the restoration of our land—a choice that benefits current and future generations alike.

Let the resolve born in Sandton spread across continents. Let land degradation neutrality become not just a technical objective, but a moral imperative and a global movement.

Let this be the moment we stop talking and start restoring.