"Almost half of the natural pastures on Earth have been degraded" – UNCCD report
2024-05-29 12:40:00 / News
According to the report, almost half of the Earth's natural pastures have degraded due to climate change and overexploitation, putting at risk a sixth of the planet's food reserves. The document highlights the importance of pasture lands and indicates ways to improve their management and restoration while protecting cattle breeding.
It is noted that the degradation of natural pastures due to overuse and misuse, climate change, and the loss of biodiversity, poses a serious threat to the supply of food to humanity and the well-being or survival of billions of people.
Pasture lands account for 54 percent of the world's land area, while in Mongolia and Central Asia, pastures account for 60 percent of the total land area, and cattle grazing provides almost a third of the population. These lands consist mainly of natural pastures used for grazing livestock and wild animals. They also include savannas, wetlands, tundra, shrublands, and deserts.
The report, prepared by more than 60 experts from 40 countries, notes that the destruction of pasture lands is due to "poorly implemented policies and regulations", "weak and inefficient management", and "lack of investment in pasture communities and sustainable production models."
The report details an approach that allows policymakers to restore, manage, and stabilize rangelands, drawing on case studies describing lessons learned from the mistakes and successes of pasture management.