Reviving Our Land: India Pledges To Combat Desertification, Restore 50 Lakh Hectares Of Degraded Land By 2030

In view of the upcoming 14th Conference of Parties (COP14) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) from 2 to 13 September 2019 in New Delhi, India has pledged to restore 50 lakh hectares of degraded land by 2030.

The pledge is a part of the ‘New Delhi Declaration’ which will be adopted at the conference. A Centre for Excellence will also be established at Dehradun towards meeting the aim.

“It is the common resolve of the world to combat desertification and India will lead from the front and move the world in a positive direction, taking into cognisance the support of other countries” Prakash Javadekar, the Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change said.

The UNCCD is one the three Rio conventions along with United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). India became a signatory to UNCCD on 14 October 1994 and ratified it on 17 December 1996.

The main objective of the convention is to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought in countries experiencing serious drought and/or desertification, involving long-term integrated strategies. 197 countries are signatories to the bottoms-up pact which focuses on participation of local people in combating desertification and land degradation.