Desertification

This chapter outlines the debates surrounding the definition and extent of desertification globally and the evolution of global and local governance efforts focused on addressing it. It focuses on the challenge of desertification and the extent to which policy and mitigation practices are beginning to embrace its complexity. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment along with several other global reports collate evidence on the constituting processes and manifestations of desertification and portray various aspects of its impact on human wellbeing, pointing out that while the local magnitude of the impact varies in relation to degree of aridity and population pressure, desertification occurs on all continents except Antarctica, and affects millions of people, the majority of whom already live in poverty and can be classified as vulnerable. The land degradation neutrality target and the accompanying fund (LDNF) are new developments that suggest that the international community, including funders, is beginning to take desertification and the state of soils seriously.