GAR 2015 Main Report

234

Part III - Chapter 12

Globally, land degradation is another key driver, particularly when it comes to drought risk (UNISDR, 2013a

UNISDR. 2013a,Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction: From Shared Risk to Shared Value: the Business Case for Disaster Risk Reduction, Geneva, Switzerland: UNISDR.. .

;

Erian et al., 2012

Erian, W., B. Katlan, B. Ouldbedy, H. Awad, E. Zaghtity and S. Ibrahim. 2012,Agriculture Drought in Africa and Mediterranean, Background paper prepared for the 2013 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction. Geneva, Switzerland: UNISDR..
Click here to view this GAR paper.

). The effects of land degradation are often irreversible, and where land rehabilitation is attempted it is usually costly and labour-intensive ( GAR 13 paper

Erian et al., 2014

Erian, Wadid, Bassem Katlan, Naji Assad and Sanaa Ibrahim. 2014,Effects of Drought and Land Degradation on Crop Losses in Africa and the Arab Region with Special Case Study on: drought and conflict in Syria, Background Paper prepared for the 2015 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction. Geneva, Switzerland: UNISDR..
Click here to view this GAR paper.

). Already ten years ago, it was estimated that more than 30 per cent of the world’s land surface was vulnerable to degradation (WMO, 2005

WMO (World Meteorological Organization). 2005,Climate and Land Degradation, Geneva.. .

In Africa, 52 per cent of land is considered degraded ( GAR 13 paper

Erian et al., 2014

). Countries with severe land degradation (i.e. 75 per cent of their land) include Lesotho, Djibouti, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia. Another 24 countries, including South Africa and Nigeria, as well as some low-income countries such as Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Eritrea, show severe land degradation to the tune of 50-75 per cent of their land area.

In South America, a more complex process of land degradation and change in vegetation cover can be observed ( GAR 13 paper

Erian et al., 2014

). There has been significant degradation in some parts of Brazil, Argentina and Peru in particular, resulting in a total of almost 500 million hectares of land degraded in South America (Figure 12.4). Of that area, more than 165 million hectares show moderate to severe degradation, amounting to more than 10 per cent of the continent’s total land area ( GAR 13 paper

Erian et al., 2014

). However, the dynamics of vegetation cover and investments in land development mean that more than 12 per cent of the total land area can be considered highly developed, outweighing the overall scale of degradation. However, this figure obviously hides the high levels of local soil degradation that have significant impacts on communities and local economies (ibid.).

The real cost of land degradation is difficult to assess. However, as an example of how significant the associated costs are, Table 12.1 shows the

estimated loss value of land degradation in the Syrian Arab Republic, including cultivated, range and forest lands.

Given that the different planetary systems are concatenated, breaching any one boundary affects the others, and all of them have an impact on disaster risk. As the overconsumption of energy and natural capital breaks through successive planetary boundaries, it has ushered in a new era that some scientists are now calling the Anthropocene: an epoch in which human activities have a significant impact on the planet’s ecosystems (Rockstrm et al., 2013). The concept of the Anthropocene has still not been adopted as orthodox scientific nomenclature, but one of its salient and defining characteristics is that of increasing disaster loss and impacts as indicators of planetary systems in distress.

Given that its causes and consequences are global and that it threatens the very foundations of

Figure 12.4 Land degradation in South and Central America

(Source:

Erian et al., 2014

	234 Part III - Chapter 12 Globally, land degradation is another key driver, particularly when it comes to drought risk (UNISDR, 2013a x UNISDR. 2013a,Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction: From Shared Risk to Shared Value: the Business Case for Disaster Risk Reduction, Geneva, Switzerland: UNISDR.. . ; Erian et al., 2012 x Erian, W., B. Katlan, B. Ouldbedy, H. Awad, E. Zaghtity and S. Ibrahim. 2012,Agriculture Drought in Africa and Mediterranean, Background paper prepared for the 2013 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction. Geneva, Switzerland: UNISDR.. Click here to view this GAR paper. ). The effects of land degradation are often irreversible, and where land rehabilitation is attempted it is usually costly and labour-intensive (Erian et al., 2014 x Erian, Wadid, Bassem Katlan, Naji Assad and Sanaa Ibrahim. 2014,Effects of Drought and Land Degradation on Crop Losses in Africa and the Arab Region with Special Case Study on: drought and conflict in Syria, Background Paper prepared for the 2015 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction. Geneva, Switzerland: UNISDR.. Click here to view this GAR paper. ). Already ten years ago, it was estimated that more than 30 per cent of the world’s land surface was vulnerable to degradation (WMO, 2005 x WMO (World Meteorological Organization). 2005,Climate and Land Degradation, Geneva.. . ). In Africa, 52 per cent of land is considered degraded (Erian et al., 2014 x Erian, Wadid, Bassem Katlan, Naji Assad and Sanaa Ibrahim. 2014,Effects of Drought and Land Degradation on Crop Losses in Africa and the Arab Region with Special Case Study on: drought and conflict in Syria, Background Paper prepared for the 2015 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction. Geneva, Switzerland: UNISDR.. Click here to view this GAR paper. ). Countries with severe land degradation (i.e. 75 per cent of their land) include Lesotho, Djibouti, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia. Another 24 countries, including South Africa and Nigeria, as well as some low-income countries such as Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Eritrea, show severe land degradation to the tune of 50-75 per cent of their land area. In South America, a more complex process of land degradation and change in vegetation cover can be observed (Erian et al., 2014 x Erian, Wadid, Bassem Katlan, Naji Assad and Sanaa Ibrahim. 2014,Effects of Drought and Land Degradation on Crop Losses in Africa and the Arab Region with Special Case Study on: drought and conflict in Syria, Background Paper prepared for the 2015 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction. Geneva, Switzerland: UNISDR.. Click here to view this GAR paper. ). There has been significant degradation in some parts of Brazil, Argentina and Peru in particular, resulting in a total of almost 500 million hectares of land degraded in South America (Figure 12.4). Of that area, more than 165 million hectares show moderate to severe degradation, amounting to more than 10 per cent of the continent’s total land area (Erian et al., 2014 x Erian, Wadid, Bassem Katlan, Naji Assad and Sanaa Ibrahim. 2014,Effects of Drought and Land Degradation on Crop Losses in Africa and the Arab Region with Special Case Study on: drought and conflict in Syria, Background Paper prepared for the 2015 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction. Geneva, Switzerland: UNISDR.. Click here to view this GAR paper. ). However, the dynamics of vegetation cover and investments in land development mean that more than 12 per cent of the total land area can be considered highly developed, outweighing the overall scale of degradation. However, this figure obviously hides the high levels of local soil degradation that have significant impacts on communities and local economies (ibid.). The real cost of land degradation is difficult to assess. However, as an example of how significant the associated costs are, Table 12.1 shows the estimated loss value of land degradation in the Syrian Arab Republic, including cultivated, range and forest lands. Given that the different planetary systems are concatenated, breaching any one boundary affects the others, and all of them have an impact on disaster risk. As the overconsumption of energy and natural capital breaks through successive planetary boundaries, it has ushered in a new era that some scientists are now calling the Anthropocene: an epoch in which human activities have a significant impact on the planet’s ecosystems (Rockstrm et al., 2013). The concept of the Anthropocene has still not been adopted as orthodox scientific nomenclature, but one of its salient and defining characteristics is that of increasing disaster loss and impacts as indicators of planetary systems in distress. Given that its causes and consequences are global and that it threatens the very foundations of Figure 12.4 Land degradation in South and Central America (Source: Erian et al., 2014 x Erian, Wadid, Bassem Katlan, Naji Assad and Sanaa Ibrahim. 2014,Effects of Drought and Land Degradation on Crop Losses in Africa and the Arab Region with Special Case Study on: drought and conflict in Syria, Background Paper prepared for the 2015 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction. Geneva, Switzerland: UNISDR.. Click here to view this GAR paper. .)	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