Our experts are globally recognized for their expertise in land degradation, making the UN Environment Programme the world’s leading developer of tools and methodologies that support sustainable land management. In partnership with the GEF, we promote sustainable land management practices through a wide range of impactful tools and enabling activities:
- Land degradation assessments: providing a set of harmonised tools and methods like the Global Forest Watch to assess the nature, extent, severity and impact of land degradation
- Sharing best practice: compiling the knowledge gained through UNEP-GEF funded projects in adapting and upscaling community knowledge and initiatives from the field
- Establishing the wider benefits of sustainable land management initiatives through practical tools like the Carbon Benefits Project that is used by land managers, national governments, UN agencies and other multi-lateral organisations to quantify the benefits of climate change mitigation. This tool has been used in more than 150 countries and linked to WOCAT (the primary recommended database for SLM best practices by UNCCD) and the Land Potential Knowledge System, a mobile phone app that enables farmers to realise the full potential of their land sustainably.
The opportunities demonstrated by restoring degraded land are enormous, and UNEP is uniquely positioned to work with the GEF on helping countries achieve between USD 4.3 to USD 20.2 trillion annually through the provision of ecosystem services from restored land alone.
