By External Source
Jun 4 2024 (IPS-Partners)
Ecosystems are being threatened all over the world.
From forests to drylands.
From farmlands to lakes.
Drought and desertification are threatening freshwater and soil ecosystems the most.
These are the connective tissues that makes life on Earth possible.
Drylands are areas which face great water scarcity.
They cover 41% of the Earth’s land surface and 78% of the world’s rangelands.
They also generate 44% of global crops – feeding half of the world’s livestock.
They support the lives and livelihoods of more than 2 billion people.
Approximately 1.4 billion livelihoods worldwide are directly reliant on access to fresh water.
Yet, up to 40% of the planet’s land is now degraded, affecting half the world’s population.
Every five seconds, the equivalent of one football pitch of soil is eroded.
Yet, it takes 1,000 years to generate 3 centimeters of topsoil.
The number duration of droughts has increased by 29% since 2000.
By 2050, droughts will affect 75% of the world’s population.
Land restoration is a key pillar of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
It is a rallying call for the protection and revival of ecosystems all around the world.
That’s why World Environment Day 2024 focuses on land restoration, halting desertification and building drought resilience.
We cannot turn back time, but we can grow forests, revive water sources, and bring back soils.
We are the generation that can make peace with land.
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