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In 2024, the three Rio Conventions – (CBD UN Biodiversity, UNFCCC UN Climate Change and UNCCD UN Convention to Combat Desertification) are holding their COPs (Conferences of Parties). They derive directly from the 1992 Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro, and are intrinsically linked, operating in the same ecosystems and addressing interdependent issues.
Not to be confused with COP16 on Biodiversity, the UNCCD COP16 "Our Land, Our Future" took place from 2nd to 13th December in Riyadh! COP16 was the largest UN land conference yet and it was held in the Middle East and North Africa Region for the first time.
According to a report published by the UN on December 3, droughts "fuelled by human destruction of the environment" cost the world more than $300 billion each year.
By 2030, the world needs at least $2.6 trillion to restore over 1 billion hectares of degraded land and build resilience to the escalating impacts of drought and climate change.
That’s $1 billion every day to secure the livelihoods of billions, protect biodiversity, and combat desertification.
Drought and land degradation are not just environmental issues, they are also economic, humanitarian and social crises. With 90% of freshwater stored in soil, drought threatens food security, displaces millions and raises global food prices, creating instability across borders.
Restoring degraded lands not only supports ecosystems but also strengthens resilience, stores carbon, and safeguards biodiversity, all while improving livelihoods.
Some key common denominators:
The importance of nature-based solutions (#NbS) to prevent erosion, ensure a stable climate and protect animal and plant life
Society’s role in adopting clean, sustainable #technologies to reduce emissions and pressure on biodiversity loss.
The transformative power of collaboration, with governments, civil society, indigenous leaders, and private sector stakeholders working together for meaningful change.
Our Regenerative Finance expert, Esther Val, was present in Riyadh and shares her highlights:
Land: discussions focused on the power of healthy land to fight climate change, poverty, and unemployment. Discussions spotlighted nature-based solutions, land restoration, and private sector contributions.
At the Business4Land Forum, leaders from business, finance and policy came together to explore how the private sector can turn land restoration into reality through catalysing investment for a greener future.
Agri-Food Systems: speakers highlighted sustainable farming as key to feeding a growing population. Drought-resilient crops and farmer training yield exponential returns, protecting lives and livelihoods. Technology plays a critical role in resilience. Tools like satellite data enable accurate risk assessments and timely interventions.
Role of family farmers: over 50 million food producers called on governments and funders to recognise the key role of family farmers, particularly small-scale farmers, as they produce a third of the world’s food while being on the front lines of the climate crisis. Yet, they receive just 0.3% of international climate finance to adapt.
Local communities: finally, it is key to ensure land tenure security for land managers, especially Indigenous Peoples and smallholder farmers, to help to close the gap between global commitments and local practices while optimising the potential of land conservation and restoration investments.
Sacred land: the Declaration ‘Sacred Lands’, announced at the first-ever High Level Indigenous Peoples UNCCD COP event, called for the recognition of IP's knowledge systems and positive contributions as well as their inclusion in global land and drought governance, and land restoration efforts.
The proposal for the creation of an Indigenous Peoples Caucus distinct from local communities was agreed, bringing UNCCD in line with the Subsidiary BodyUN Biodiversity CBD 8j and the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform ofUN Climate Change UNFCCC.
Not significant agreement yet: some stakeholders had hoped for a framework agreement or biding protocol but were disappointed. Overall it seems that progress has been made and key challenges have been unpacked. However, time is still needed for negotiation and groundwork needed for a future global drought regime, which is intended to be complete at COP17 in Mongolia in 2026.
At Plant2050, we believe multiple opportunities exist to tackle the challenges of land degradation, among others through nature-based solutions:
turning biomass residues and waste into biochar for land restoration and environmental remediation
improving farm resilience through sustainable practices and regenerative agriculture which rebuild carbon and biodiversity in soils
accelerating investments in afforestation, reforestation, and agroforestry projects which can help restore degraded lands, sequester carbon, and improve soil fertility.
Forestry projects can also be especially efficient in arid regions (e.g., Africa’s Great Green Wall) to regenerate drylands by planting drought-resilient trees, improving water retention, and fostering climate resilience.
Blue Carbon projects are growing globally, with project developers using climate and carbon finance instruments such as Carbon Dioxide Removals (CDR) for the restoration of coastal ecosystems like mangroves, which combats land erosion, enhances biodiversity, and captures carbon while protecting coastal communities.
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