ɫ��TV

UNDP and partners are restoring degraded lands, strengthening climate-resilient livelihoods and improving resource management to help communities prevent conflict and build lasting peace.

In Mongolia’s Burd district, a herder and her community are bringing water back to a landscape threatened by drought, overgrazing and desertification. With UNDP-supported funding, local women and herder groups protected vital springs and restored a lake that had been dry for more than 70 years. Their efforts revived 90 hectares of wetlands, secured drinking water for 15,000 animals and brought swans, geese and cranes back to the area. The project is also creating new livelihood opportunities, showing how community-led conservation can restore ecosystems while sustaining pastoralist families.

Rangelands cover more than half of the Earth's land surface and are essential to food security, biodiversity, climate resilience and the livelihoods of billions of people, including pastoralists and Indigenous communities. Yet these vast ecosystems remain undervalued and increasingly threatened by climate change, land degradation and unsustainable land use. Protecting and restoring rangelands is critical not only for conserving wildlife and storing carbon, but also for sustaining cultures, strengthening rural economies and building resilient landscapes that support both people and nature for generations to come.

The world has more than 20 billion football-pitch-sized parcels of land, but nearly 40% are already degraded by deforestation, unsustainable farming, urban expansion and climate change. Every second, the equivalent of four football fields is lost, threatening food security, biodiversity, livelihoods and the climate. Forests continue to shrink, and most farmland is already degraded or at risk of desertification. Yet there is hope: countries and communities are restoring ecosystems on a massive scale, with pledges to revive 1.4 billion football pitches of land—showing that collective action can restore nature, strengthen economies and secure a healthier future for people and the planet.

Sand and dust storms darken skies and carry their impacts across borders. While they are part of the Earth’s natural cycles, they are increasingly intensified by climate change, land degradation and unsustainable water use. They threaten health, food security, water, livelihoods, cities and ecosystems, and slow progress on sustainable development. Yet through responsible land, water and climate action, their impacts can be reduced. The International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms (12 July) calls for stronger international cooperation to reduce their risks and protect communities worldwide.

On World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought  (17 June), let's recognize the vital importance of rangelands. Covering more than half of the Earth’s land surface, they support nearly two billion people and provide almost 70% of global livestock feed, making them essential for food security, biodiversity and climate resilience. Yet up to half of the world’s rangelands are degraded or at risk. This observance calls for greater recognition, protection and restoration of these critical ecosystems and the communities that steward them. .

Did you know that 98% of the oxygen we breathe comes from plants, and that 80% of the food we eat depends on them? Yet every year, up to 40% of global crops are lost to pests and diseases, undermining efforts to ensure food and nutrition for all. This year’s (12 May) highlights the critical role of plant biosecurity in safeguarding our food systems. By preventing the spread of pests and diseases, plant biosecurity helps protect crops, livelihoods, and ecosystems. We all share a responsibility to keep plants healthy—for a zero-hunger world. !

Rangelands cover half the world, supporting biodiversity and pastoralist livelihoods, requiring policies and investments for land access, mobility, governance, ecosystem restoration, animal health, and equitable value chains.

Soil sustains life—over 95% of our food depends on it—yet climate change and human activity are degrading this vital resource. While we often picture soil in fields and forests, it underpins our cities too. This World Soil Day (5 December) highlights “,” reminding us that urban soil, when kept permeable and green, cools cities, absorbs water, stores carbon, and improves air quality. Let's rethink urban spaces and build greener, more resilient communities from the ground up.

Every year, the  — a swath the size of Egypt, becoming unable to support people, animals and plants. As soil turns to dust and vegetation withers, the ripple effects are massive: 1.3 billion people see their livelihoods threatened and the , nearly 2% of what we produce in a year. Restoring health to soils and life to land is one of the smartest economic moves we can make. By restoring one billion hectares of degraded land (the current global target), we could unlock up to $1.8 trillion in value every year for people around the world. And the return on investment goes beyond economic gains.

Every second, the equivalent of four football fields of healthy land is degraded. To reverse this trend, we must increase our restoration efforts. If current patterns persist, 1.5 billion hectares will need to be restored by 2030, creating a trillion-dollar restoration economy. The 2025 World Day to Combat Desertification (17 June), under the theme "" highlights how land restoration can create jobs, strengthen food and water security, support climate goals, and boost resilience. It’s time to turn ambition into action. !

Restoring degraded ecosystems in Africa is crucial for food security, with WFP’s initiatives like the Livelihood Assets & Resilience Academy building Zimbabwe's local expertise to scale sustainable growth.

The offers not just a worldwide view of the situation of these indispensable ecosystems, but also explores the transformative power of evidence-based innovation in the forest sector, ranging from new technologies to successful policies, to new ways of getting finance to forest owners and managers. The biennial report, published by , is one its flagship publications, and carries extensive data on global forest resources and on humans’ interaction with them, while outlining strategies for reducing deforestation.

Desertification affects around  of Africa’s land, with 55 per cent of this area considered at “high” or “very high” risk of further degradation. That is a huge threat to food security and sustainable development on a continent whose population is expected to grow by nearly 1 billion by 2050. Through , an award-winning initiative, Ethiopian villagers have replanted trees and shrubs, which are helping to counter desertification. The initiative has restored more than 350,000 hectares across Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal and Somalia. It has done so by reaching more than 600,000 households through its training and tree-growing efforts. 

Healthy land provides most of our food, clothing, shelter, jobs, and livelihoods, and protects us from worsening droughts, floods, and wildfires. Yet desertification, land degradation, and drought are among the most pressing environmental challenges of our time, with up to 40% of the world’s land already considered degraded. The theme of this year’s World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought (17 June), “United for Land. Our Legacy. Our Future,” spotlights the future of land stewardship — our most precious resource to ensure the stability and prosperity of billions of people worldwide.