Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 13 November, within the framework of the 21st session of the Conference to Review the Implementation of the UN Convention (CRIC-21), a press briefing was held with the participation of the chief scientist of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, Barron Orr, and a member of the science department , technologies and innovations Olga Andreeva.

The event discussed open new data presented at the first meeting in Central Asia of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), indicating rapid land degradation in the region and around the world.

Between 2015 and 2019, annual losses of healthy and productive land amounted to at least 100 million hectares. In total, this is 420 million hectares, or 4.2 million square km, which exceeds the total area of the five Central Asian states - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. These statistics highlight the need for urgent action as advancing land degradation continues to destabilize markets, communities and ecosystems around the world.

According to the latest UN data, more than 20% of the total land area in Central Asia is subject to degradation, which is equivalent to approximately 80 million hectares - an area almost four times the size of Kyrgyzstan. This situation affects approximately 30% of the region’s population.

On the eve of the meeting of world leaders and experts in Samarkand at the 21st session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (CRIC 21), the UNCCD data portal began operating. For the first time, official data from 126 countries is publicly available, allowing users to explore land trends in their regions.

“The first-ever UNCCD data portal provides clear insight into the rapid loss of healthy and productive land around the world, with dire consequences for billions of people. At the same time, we see some shining examples of countries effectively combating desertification, land degradation and drought. This week we gather in Uzbekistan to review global progress towards ending land loss, and our message is clear: land degradation requires urgent attention,” says UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw.

More than a fifth of Central Asia’s land is degraded, new UN data shows

• Lands are degrading faster than we can restore them, according to new UN data

• The amount of healthy and productive land degraded worldwide since 2015 is comparable to Central Asia

• UNCCD event in Uzbekistan discusses global progress to stop land loss

Vivid examples of land restoration

Despite the generally disappointing situation in the world, there are examples of countries that are effectively combating desertification, land degradation and drought.

Although Uzbekistan has the highest proportion of degraded land in the Central Asian region, at the same time, compared to 2015, it has decreased significantly - from 30% to 26%. A total of 3 million hectares of land in Uzbekistan have been degraded as a result of the drying up of the Aral Sea. From 2018 to 2022, work was carried out in the country on an area of 1.6 million hectares to plant saxaul to eliminate emissions of salt and dust from the dried bottom of the Aral Sea.

In Kazakhstan, the area of irrigated land increased by 40%, reaching 2 million hectares. In Kyrgyzstan, on the territory of about 120 thousand hectares occupied by pastures and forests, sustainable land use technologies are used, including a system of pasture rotation. Turkmenistan has committed to restore 160 thousand hectares by 2025 as part of the national initiative “Greening the Desert”.

Land Degradation Neutral (LDN) can still be achieved

While the landscape of land degradation varies from region to region, UNCCD data suggests that at current rates, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will require restoring 1.5 billion hectares of degraded land worldwide by 2030.

“With global trends moving in an unfavorable direction, it is still possible to not only meet but exceed land degradation neutrality targets. This can be achieved by halting further degradation and accelerating existing commitments to restore a billion hectares of land by 2030 if funding and action go hand in hand,” said UNCCD Chief Scientist Barron Orr.

A total of US$5 billion has been invested to finance global efforts to combat desertification, land degradation and drought, both bilaterally and multilaterally. This allowed 124 countries to implement a large number of projects aimed at solving problems.

All Central Asian countries have joined the UNCCD Land Degradation Neutrality target setting program, bringing the total number of participating countries to 131. Half of the targets set by Central Asian countries have already been achieved, and projects to meet the remaining commitments are in progress. implementation stage.