Land for Life: Create Wealth, Transform Lives

158 Pages·2016·7.1 MB·English

Land for Life
CREATE WEALTH
TRANSFORM LIVES
CREATE WEALTH
TRANSFORM LIVES
Land for Life | CREATE WEALTH —TRANSFORM LIVES
As a mother is
Allowing us to cultivate her soil
Mother Earth gives her land
to us for our own bidding
We must, in turn,
Return the favor
Nurture Mother Earth,
as she nurtured us
Extract of poem, “Mother Earth,”
by Yen Li Yeap (13 years old)
© 2016 UNCCD and World Bank
UNCCD Secretariat
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CREATE WEALTH,
TRANSFORM LIVES
A Joint Publication of the World Bank/TerrAfrica and UNCCD Secretariat, with contributions from International
Union for the Conservation of Nature, The Global Environment Facility, UNDP’s Global Policy Centre on Resilient
Ecosystems and Desertifcation and the UNCCD Land for Life Programme.
Contents
Foreword ..............................................................................................................................v
Preface ................................................................................................................................vii
Abbreviations......................................................................................................................ix
Introduction to This Book ...................................................................................................1
INNOVATIONS: INSTITUTIONS ................................................................................. 5
Natural Resources Governance as a Tool
for Rural Poverty Reduction.........................................................................................9
Promoting Resilience in the Community
Managed Rangelands of Kenya ................................................................................15
Community Participation Leads to Better Conservation ..............................................19
Value-Driven Land Rehabilitation in the Shouf Area of Lebanon .................................27
WEALTH CREATION ................................................................................................ 35
More Than Sustainable Land Management .................................................................. 39
Kubuqi Ecological Restoration—Reviving the Old Charm of Kubuqi’s
“First City of Grassland” ............................................................................................47
Living Oasis: The Fight against
Desertifcation in Morocco ........................................................................................55
HUMAN SECURITY, CLIMATE CHANGE,
AND FORCED MIGRATION .............................................................................. 71
From Yellow to Green: Building a Sustainable
Regional Development Model ..................................................................................75
Restoring Hope in the Mountain Rangeland of Afghanistan ....................................... 83
Climate Adaptation for Rural Livelihoods and Agriculture (CARLA)........................... 89
A Holistic Approach to Harness Coping
Strategies for Community Adaptation
to Climate Change .....................................................................................................93
SCALING UP SLM AND LAND
RESTORATION INITIATIVES .............................................................................. 97
Restoring the Resilience of Ethiopia’s Highland Peoples and Landscapes ...............101
A Programmatic Approach for Transformational Changes
and Integrated Solutions .........................................................................................127
Advancing Towards Landscape Restoration through Innovative
Solutions in the Horn of Africa ................................................................................129
Improving Livelihoods in Uttarakhand in India ............................................................131
CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................ 137
List of Authors, Story Contributors, Photo Credits, and
Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................143
L AND F O R L i F E iii
iv UNCCD . W O R LD BANK
Foreword
he Global Goals of the United Nations But we do not need to imagine what that
General Assembly mark a radical shift world might look like. The stories and pic-
Tin the way the international community tures within this book provide us with the
has solved land degradation issues in the picture of that tomorrow, today. Becoming
past. For a start, there is a target on land. land degradation neutral is not simply about
Goal 15, which focuses on the management restoring degraded lands. It is about self-
of land resources, has a bold target: for every interest—making sure the land can still pro-
nation on Earth to become land degradation vide food and fresh water for us, our children,
neutral by 2030. In simple terms, it means and to the third and fourth generations. It is
that in 15 years, we should put an end to the about giving every child, from Mongolia to
past pattern of degrading more land than we Afghanistan and from Ethiopia to China, the
are restoring back to health every year. By fghting chance for a better life.
2011, when this idea was frst proposed, at
least 169 of the 192 United Nations member If this all sounds too good to be true, read
states had declared that they were affected this book. The pictures show the transforma-
by desertifcation, land degradation, and/or tion and testimonies of families and com-
drought. munities rising from ruin and thriving, and
of a restored man-made desert spawning a
The adoption of this target can inspire posi- millionaire after rehabilitating the land. The
tive change. But it would blow our minds if achievements are phenomenal and the hero-
we could really see what 2030 would look ism of the people is refreshing. The target to
like if we took that target seriously. We would stop land degradation is not wishful thinking.
create new jobs and pull nearly 2 billion poor Whoever takes it seriously can expect to reap
people out of poverty. And we would live a meaningful reward!
in beautifully restored environments that
are not just resilient to climate change, but Monique Barbut
whose productivity would soar and its people Executive Secretary
thrive, in spite of climate change.
Preface
he livelihoods of the poorest people The initiatives described in this book
in the world depend on land, water, have brought land degradation, climate
Tforests, and other natural resources. adaptation, and resilient landscapes and
Sustainable management of these crucial ecosystems to the forefront of many policy
natural resources is at the heart of achieving and investment dialogues at national,
the World Bank Group’s twin goals to end regional, and global levels. But addressing
extreme poverty and boost shared prosper- these challenges will require heavy
ity. Nowhere is it truer than Africa, a conti- investments and effective partnerships to
nent that has contributed the least to the mobilize the resources needed. TerrAfrica,
profound changes underway in the Earth’s which is led by the African Union’s NEPAD
climate but whose people will suffer its with- Agency, has supported governments by
ering impact the most. Africa’s climate and leveraging up to US$3 billion for sustainable
development agendas are inextricably linked. land and water investments for the Great
Green Wall, Sahel, and the Horn of Africa
Land is life. In Africa, drylands make up Initiatives, among others.
43 percent of the continent’s land area,
account for 75 percent of agricultural This year, 26 African countries and partners
land, and are home to 50 percent of the will launch the Resilient Landscapes Initiative
population. Frequent droughts accompanied to restore 100 million hectares of degraded
by unplanned, unsustainable, and poorly and deforested land in Africa by 2030. The
managed use of land and water has Resilient Landscapes Initiative will focus
contributed to the deterioration of the on improving soil fertility, food security,
natural resources base in these areas. access to clean water, creating green jobs,
Investing in landscape restoration efforts and bolstering economic growth and livelihood
in improved natural resource management diversifcation, and increasing the capacity for
can help to strengthen the livelihoods of climate change resilience and adaptation. The
those communities who are dependent on initiative is centered around people’s social,
these fragile natural assets. economic and environmental welfare, and
goes beyond single-sector interventions. Its
The World Bank supports multiple regional success, however, will require the support and
initiatives, as well as a large number of engagement of all land actors. As the stories
projects, aimed at helping countries restore in this report invite us to do, let’s join forces to
degraded lands, improve productivity, and help support the sustainable use of land for
become more resilient to the effects of better lives.
climate change. These actions are similar to
those described in Land for Life, a collection
of stories on communities’ and institutions’ Makhtar Diop
contributions to enhancing the resilience of Vice President for Africa Region
both ecosystems and livelihoods, creating World Bank Group
wealth and transforming lives. The stories
prove that land degradation is not inevitable.
L AND F O R L i F E vii