Recent Developments:
- The 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification was held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from 17–28 August 2026 under the theme “Restoring Land. Restoring Hope.”
- COP17 brought together governments, scientists, civil society organisations, Indigenous Peoples, pastoralists and other stakeholders to address the interconnected challenges of desertification, land degradation and drought.
- The conference gave particular attention to rangelands, pastoral communities, drought resilience, nature-based solutions, innovative finance and sustainable land management.
- Egypt will host the 18th session of the UNCCD Conference of the Parties in Sharm El-Sheikh in 2028.
- India emphasised community-led and science-based land restoration, predictable international finance and conservation of Open Natural Ecosystems, while highlighting progress towards its land restoration commitments.
Key Outcomes of UNCCD COP17:
Land Restoration as a Development Priority:
- COP17 recognised that land restoration is not merely an environmental objective but is closely connected with food security, livelihoods, water security, poverty reduction and human displacement.
- Land degradation can reduce agricultural productivity, weaken ecosystem services and intensify competition over natural resources, thereby creating additional socio-economic vulnerabilities.
- The official COP17 agenda also considered the relationship between desertification, land degradation, drought and migration, highlighting the broader human-security implications of land degradation.
Rangelands and Pastoral Communities:
- The conference placed special emphasis on rangelands and pastoralists, recognising the ecological and economic importance of grasslands, savannas and other open ecosystems.
- Sustainable rangeland management can simultaneously support livelihood security, biodiversity conservation, carbon storage and climate resilience.
- The focus was particularly relevant because 2026 is the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, with Mongolia playing a prominent role in advancing the agenda.
Drought Resilience:
- COP17 strengthened the focus on moving from post-drought relief towards anticipatory drought preparedness and resilience-building.
- A comprehensive Drought Resilience Index was highlighted as a tool for assessing countries’ capacity to anticipate, prepare for and adapt to drought risks through data-driven vulnerability assessment.
- The approach can support more efficient allocation of public resources by identifying vulnerable regions before drought impacts become severe.
Innovative Drought Finance:
- The Drought Resilience Investment Facility was presented as an innovative financing mechanism intended to use public resources to reduce investment risks and attract private and institutional capital.
- Such financing can support water security, climate-resilient agriculture, drought preparedness and land restoration.
- COP17 also maintained strong emphasis on mobilising additional financial resources because developing countries continue to face significant gaps in financing for drought resilience.
Drought Governance:
- Countries did not reach agreement on a legally binding global drought agreement, leaving the issue for further negotiations.
- However, drought was given a more prominent institutional position, with the COP17 process providing for drought as a standalone agenda item from COP18 onwards.
- A comprehensive global framework could promote national drought plans, early-warning systems, monitoring networks, data sharing and predictable financing mechanisms.
India’s Position at COP17:
Conservation of Open Natural Ecosystems:
- India highlighted the importance of Open Natural Ecosystems, including grasslands, savannas, scrublands, ravines and deserts.
- India launched its first Guide to Grasslands and Other Open Natural Ecosystems, seeking to improve recognition and conservation of ecosystems that have historically been undervalued because of their limited tree cover.
- Landscapes such as the Thar, Banni and Deccan savannas demonstrate that ecological importance cannot be assessed only through forest cover.
- Conservation of these ecosystems is important for biodiversity, pastoral livelihoods, soil conservation, groundwater and climate resilience.
Progress under the Bonn Challenge:
- India has brought 21.76 million hectares of degraded land under restoration efforts against its target of restoring 26 million hectares by 2030.
- India’s restoration approach increasingly links land productivity, ecosystem services, biodiversity conservation, climate action and rural employment.
- The government has reported that restoration activities have generated approximately 1.22 billion person-days of employment, demonstrating the potential of ecological restoration as a development intervention.
Community-Based Restoration:
- India advocated recognising pastoral communities as custodians of ecosystems, securing appropriate grazing rights and integrating traditional ecological knowledge with modern scientific methods.
- Community-protected landscapes such as Orans of Rajasthan demonstrate how local institutions can contribute to biodiversity conservation, vegetation protection and water-resource management.
- This approach supports the principle that restoration becomes more sustainable when local communities participate in planning, implementation and monitoring.
Understanding the UNCCD:
Origin and Mandate:
- The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification was adopted in 1994 and emerged from the global environmental process initiated by the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
- It is one of the three major Rio Conventions, alongside the conventions dealing with climate change and biological diversity.
- The UNCCD provides the principal international framework for addressing desertification, land degradation and drought, with particular emphasis on sustainable land management.
Land Degradation Neutrality:
- Land Degradation Neutrality seeks to maintain or improve the quantity and quality of land resources necessary for ecosystem functioning, food production and human well-being.
- It is closely associated with Sustainable Development Goal Target 15.3, which calls for achieving a land-degradation-neutral world.
- The approach emphasises avoiding new degradation, reducing ongoing degradation and restoring already degraded land.
Conference of the Parties:
- The Conference of the Parties is the principal decision-making body of the UNCCD.
- It reviews implementation by Parties, considers scientific and policy recommendations and adopts decisions necessary for advancing the objectives of the Convention.
- COP17’s official documentation included dedicated work on rangelands and pastoralists, drought policy, migration, land tenure and sand and dust storms.
Major Challenges in Combating Land Degradation:
Ecological Challenges:
- Unsuitable afforestation, soil erosion, declining soil organic carbon and salinisation can undermine restoration efforts.
- Treating natural grasslands and scrublands as wastelands may encourage inappropriate tree plantations that disturb native biodiversity and pastoral livelihoods.
- Excessive cultivation and inefficient fertiliser use can reduce soil quality, while poorly managed irrigation can accelerate soil salinity and waterlogging.
Agricultural and Livelihood Vulnerabilities:
- Agricultural incentives may encourage water-intensive crops in regions already facing groundwater stress.
- Shrinking Common Property Resources, including grazing lands, can increase pressure on remaining pastures and accelerate degradation.
- Insecure land tenure can particularly affect women farmers and reduce their access to institutional credit, insurance, subsidies and extension services.
Institutional Fragmentation:
- Responsibilities for land, forests, agriculture, water and rural development are distributed across multiple institutions, often resulting in fragmented interventions.
- Effective restoration therefore requires landscape-level planning rather than isolated departmental schemes.
- Drought management also needs to move from reactive relief towards anticipatory risk reduction and resilience-building.
Finance and Climate Risks:
- Land restoration often has long gestation periods and uncertain financial returns, making it difficult to attract private investment.
- Weak Measurement, Reporting and Verification systems can further constrain investment in carbon, biodiversity and ecosystem-service markets.
- Climate change is increasing rainfall variability in many regions, with intense rainfall followed by prolonged dry periods contributing to runoff, soil erosion, reduced groundwater recharge and reservoir siltation.
India’s Major Initiatives:
National and Landscape-Level Measures:
- The National Action Plan for Combating Desertification provides an overarching framework for addressing land degradation and desertification through convergence of government programmes.
- The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana supports watershed development, rainwater harvesting and soil-moisture conservation.
- The Green India Mission seeks to improve forest quality, ecosystem services and carbon sequestration under the broader climate-policy framework.
- The Soil Health Card Scheme provides farmers with scientific recommendations regarding soil nutrients and fertiliser use.
- The Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India developed using space-based technologies supports identification and monitoring of degraded land.
- Mission Amrit Sarovar promotes creation and rejuvenation of water bodies, supporting groundwater recharge and drought resilience.
- The Aravalli Green Wall Initiative seeks to restore degraded landscapes across the Aravalli region and strengthen ecological resilience.
Way Forward:
Policy and Governance:
- India should promote agro-ecological zoning so that agricultural incentives, electricity support and procurement policies become better aligned with local ecological conditions.
- Drought financing should increasingly become trigger-based and anticipatory, allowing resources to reach vulnerable regions before severe impacts occur.
- Ridge-to-Valley planning at the district level can integrate interventions related to agriculture, forests, water resources and rural development.
Ecological Restoration:
- Grasslands, savannas and scrublands should be recognised as distinct ecosystems rather than treated as degraded forests.
- Restoration should prioritise native species, invasive-species management, soil-carbon restoration, regenerative agriculture and water-efficient farming.
- Crop residues should be incorporated into circular bioeconomies, including biomass-based energy and bio-CNG, to reduce open burning while generating economic value.
Technology and Finance:
- Satellite imagery, soil-moisture sensors, artificial intelligence and geographic information systems should be integrated for localised drought prediction and ecosystem monitoring.
- Blended finance and public de-risking mechanisms can encourage private investment in land restoration, sustainable agroforestry and drought-resilient agriculture.
- Stronger monitoring and verification frameworks are necessary to improve the credibility of carbon and biodiversity-related financial instruments.
Conclusion:
- UNCCD COP17 reinforced the understanding that land restoration is simultaneously an environmental, economic, social and human-security priority.
- India's emphasis on community participation, scientific restoration, ecosystem conservation and predictable finance reflects the need to integrate ecological sustainability with development objectives.
- The future of drought governance should shift from crisis response to anticipatory resilience, supported by reliable data, early-warning systems and accessible finance.
- Achieving Land Degradation Neutrality will ultimately require coordinated action involving governments, communities, farmers, pastoralists, scientists and private investors.
- Sustainable land management can therefore become a pathway towards food security, climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, livelihood protection and inclusive rural development.
Value Addition for UPSC:
Key Concepts:
- Land Degradation Neutrality: Avoid degradation, reduce ongoing degradation and restore degraded land.
- Nature-Based Solutions: Address societal challenges through protection, sustainable management and restoration of ecosystems.
- Ecosystem-Based Adaptation: Use ecosystem management to help communities adapt to climate-related risks.
- Anticipatory Action: Take preventive measures before a forecast hazard produces severe impacts.
- Landscape Approach: Manage interconnected ecosystems and human activities across administrative boundaries.
- Ridge-to-Valley Approach: Integrate land and water conservation from upper catchments to downstream areas.
