Land restoration not a cost but investment in food, water

Restoration of degraded land is not a cost but an investment in food, water, biodiversity, livelihood and long-term resilience, stated Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on Monday. The Union Minister was speaking at the Ministerial Dialogue during the 17th Conference of Parties (CoP) held under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

The ministerial dialogue was themed ‘Innovate Financial Mechanisms for Healthy Land and Drought Resilience’. 76 million hectares of degraded land in the 2011-2020 period, citing the country’s second progress report on the Bonn Challenge. Restoration was not a standalone intervention for India, he stated, but an essential component of sustainable and resilient development.

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Key Analysis and Detailed Timeline

India has pledged to restore 13 million hectares, with an additional eight million hectares Addressing desertification, land degradation and drought at scale, Yadav stated, requires diversified, predictable and sustained sources of finance beyond public budgets, along with strong public-private partnerships. Yadav cited the Green Credit Programme scheme as an example of private financing to restore degraded forest land.

Relevant authorities and designated stakeholders affirmed that regular procedural updates will be shared as the situation continues to unfold.

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India has pledged to restore 13 million hectares, with an additional eight million hectares Addressing desertification, land degradation and drought at scale, Yadav stated, requires diversified, predictable and sustained sources of finance beyond public budgets, along with strong public-private partnerships.

Broader Impact and Sector Outlook

Yadav cited the Green Credit Programme scheme as an example of private financing to restore degraded forest land.

Restoration of degraded land is not a cost but an investment in food, water, biodiversity, livelihood and long-term resilience, stated Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on Monday. The Union Minister was speaking at the Ministerial Dialogue during the 17th Conference of Parties (CoP) held under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

The ministerial dialogue was themed ‘Innovate Financial Mechanisms for Healthy Land and Drought Resilience’. 76 million hectares of degraded land in the 2011-2020 period, citing the country’s second progress report on the Bonn Challenge. Restoration was not a standalone intervention for India, he stated, but an essential component of sustainable and resilient development.

India has pledged to restore 13 million hectares, with an additional eight million hectares Addressing desertification, land degradation and drought at scale, Yadav stated, requires diversified, predictable and sustained sources of finance beyond public budgets, along with strong public-private partnerships. Yadav cited the Green Credit Programme scheme as an example of private financing to restore degraded forest land.