The Consultative Meeting of Experts on a Sustainable Development Goal on Land Degradation Neutral World was held in Seoul this week, organized by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the Korea Forest Service.

Two days of marathon discussions on desertification and land degradation produced several positive results, said Jia Xiaoxia, the chairwoman of the conference.

“The UNCCD’s annual conferences bring such an incredible mix of people together, each bringing his or her own unique experience and expertise but all eager to solve the desertification and land degradation problems all over the world,” said Jia, who is also director of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification’s Implementation and International Cooperation Division. 

“International cooperation is essential if we are to move toward zero net land degradation.”

Experts representing different international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, the scientific community, government authorities and private businesses attended meetings primarily to reinforce the affected countries’ goals and targets.

International efforts to resolve land degradation began approximately 40 years ago, but due to climate change and indiscriminate land development, desertification has accelerated in recent years.

One of the main functions of the meeting was on developing specific targets so that affected countries can assess the progress of land rehabilitation within a set time, said Jia.

With more than 20 years of experience in environmental and agricultural fields, Jia currently serves as the national coordinator of the Global Land Degradation Assessment pilot project in China.

Her post at the UNCCD also involves coordinating efforts with Germany, the U.S. and Japan on combating desertification and serving as China’s UNCCD Science and Technology correspondent.

As an undergraduate, she majored in desertification prevention and control at Inner Mongolia Forestry College and went on to obtain a master’s in environmental management from Queensland University, Australia.

According to UNCCD Secretary-General Luc Gnacadja, desertification and land degradation occur everywhere in the world.

In order to increase awareness of the issue, the UNCCD has been involved in a variety of activities, including on-site education, online campaigning, holding workshops and using social media.

“Educating women in desertification-affected countries or regions is important because more often than not they are the ones working the land,” said Jia, pointing out the need for increased media attention on land degradation.

The outcome of the UNCCD’s increased educational efforts on land degradation, desertification and drought is expected to show through more sustainable land development.

“At the meeting, we discussed what needs to be done at three different levels ― global, regional and national ― with a belief that national-level implementations will start from the grassroots level.”

The UNCCD then facilitates the monitoring and assessment function at the global level.

“Although there are specific targets and clear orientation toward improving each country’s goals, it’s often difficult to follow up,” said Jia, suggesting that the lack of enforcement mechanisms in the UNCCD creates delays and noncompliance.

She argued that misplaced market investment and failed government policies have caused the proportion of land worldwide classified as arid to increase more than 10 percent since the early 1990s.

“In China, government policies and investment have traditionally helped farmers to cultivate lands in a more sustainable fashion,” said Jia.

“Domestic policies such as long-term land-use rights can make a huge difference when it comes to land and forest conservation.”

Following the World Day to Combat Desertification on June 17, the UNCCD held its 4th Inter-sessional Working Group meeting on June 24-25.

A separate event, the Economics of Land Degradation Interim Report, was also held in Seoul on Thursday to discuss more in-depth problems of desertification and land degradation from economic points of view.

“The issue of desertification and land degradation now has to be reframed,” said Gnacadja.

“It’s not simply losing ecosystem per se, but is directly related to food shortages, health, national security and poverty of the local populations.”

Serving as president of the UNCCD Conference of the Parties, Korea in 2011 hosted the 10th UNCCD general assembly meeting in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province.

“The Changwon Initiative two years ago created the Land for Life Award, which is a prize given to groups that have shown the best practices in land conservation,” said Jia.

“International cooperation is absolutely necessary on this issue not only for the sake of sharing good ideas or attracting more investment but more importantly because doing so helps humanity.”

Jia said that she was looking forward to attend the 11th Conference of the Parties of the UNCCD, which will be held in Windhoek, Namibia, this September.

By Kwon Bum-joon (bjkwon@heraldcorp.com)