Editing IPCC:AR6/SRCCL/Chapter-7 (section)

=== 7.4.5 Policies responding to desertification and degradation – Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) ===

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Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) (SDG Target 15.3), evolved from the concept of Net Zero Land Degradation, which was introduced by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to promote SLM (Kust et al. 2017 <sup>[[#fn:r602|602]]</sup> ; Stavi and Lal 2015 <sup>[[#fn:r603|603]]</sup> ; Chasek et al. 2015 <sup>[[#fn:r604|604]]</sup> ). Neutrality here implies no net loss of the land-based natural resource and ES relative to a baseline or a reference state (UNCCD 2015 <sup>[[#fn:r605|605]]</sup> ; Kust et al. 2017 <sup>[[#fn:r606|606]]</sup> ; Easdale 2016 <sup>[[#fn:r607|607]]</sup> ; Cowie et al. 2018a <sup>[[#fn:r608|608]]</sup> ; Stavi and Lal 2015 <sup>[[#fn:r609|609]]</sup> ; Grainger 2015 <sup>[[#fn:r610|610]]</sup> ; Chasek et al. 2015 <sup>[[#fn:r611|611]]</sup> ). LDN can be achieved by reducing the rate of land degradation (and concomitant loss of ES) and increasing the rate of restoration and rehabilitation of degraded or desertified land. Therefore, the rate of global land degradation is not to exceed that of land restoration in order to achieve LDN goals (adopted as national platform for actions by more than 100 countries) (Stavi and Lal 2015 <sup>[[#fn:r612|612]]</sup> ; Grainger 2015 <sup>[[#fn:r613|613]]</sup> ; Chasek et al. 2015 <sup>[[#fn:r614|614]]</sup> ; Cowie et al. 2018a <sup>[[#fn:r615|615]]</sup> ; Montanarella 2015 <sup>[[#fn:r616|616]]</sup> ). Achieving LDN would decrease the environmental footprint of agriculture, while supporting food security and sustaining human well-being (UNCCD 2015 <sup>[[#fn:r617|617]]</sup> ; Safriel 2017 <sup>[[#fn:r618|618]]</sup> ; Stavi and Lal 2015 <sup>[[#fn:r619|619]]</sup> ; Kust et al. 2017 <sup>[[#fn:r620|620]]</sup> ).

Response hierarchy – avoiding, reducing and reversing land degradation – is the main policy response (Chasek et al. 2019 <sup>[[#fn:r621|621]]</sup> , Wonder and Bodle 2019 <sup>[[#fn:r622|622]]</sup> , Cowie et al. 2018 <sup>[[#fn:r623|623]]</sup> , Orr et al. 2017 <sup>[[#fn:r624|624]]</sup> ). The LDN response hierarchy encourages through regulation, planning and management instruments, the adoption of diverse measures to avoid, reduce and reverse land degradation in order to achieve LDN (Cowie et al. 2018b <sup>[[#fn:r625|625]]</sup> ; Orr et al. 2017 <sup>[[#fn:r626|626]]</sup> ).

Chapter 3 categorised policy responses into two categories; (i) avoiding, reducing and reversing it through SLM; and (ii) providing alternative livelihoods with economic diversification. LDN could be achieved through planned effective actions, particularly by motivated stakeholders – those who play an essential role in a land-based climate change adaptation (Easdale 2016 <sup>[[#fn:r627|627]]</sup> ; Qasim et al. 2011 <sup>[[#fn:r628|628]]</sup> ; Cowie et al. 2018a <sup>[[#fn:r629|629]]</sup> ; Salvati and Carlucci 2014 <sup>[[#fn:r630|630]]</sup> ). Human activities impacting the sustainability of drylands is a key consideration in adequately reversing degradation through restoration or rehabilitation of degraded land (Easdale 2016 <sup>[[#fn:r631|631]]</sup> ; Qasim et al. 2011 <sup>[[#fn:r632|632]]</sup> ; Cowie et al. 2018a <sup>[[#fn:r633|633]]</sup> ; Salvati and Carlucci 2014 <sup>[[#fn:r634|634]]</sup> ).

LDN actions and activities play an essential role for a land-based approach to climate change adaptation (UNCCD 2015 <sup>[[#fn:r635|635]]</sup> ). Policies responding to degradation and desertification include improving market access, gender empowerment, expanding access to rural advisory services, strengthening land tenure security, payments for ES, decentralised natural resource management, investing in R&amp;D, modern renewable energy sources and monitoring of desertification and desert storms, developing modern renewable energy sources, and developing and strengthening climate services. Policy supporting economic diversification includes investing in irrigation, expanding agricultural commercialisation, and facilitating structural transformations in rural economies (Chapter 3). Policies and actions also include promoting indigenous and local knowledge (ILK), soil conservation, agroforestry, crop-livestock interactions as an approach to manage land degradation, and forest-based activities such as afforestation, reforestation, and changing forest management (Chapter 4). Measures identified for achievement of LDN include effective financial mechanisms (for implementation of land restoration measures and the long-term monitoring of progress), parameters for assessing land degradation, detailed plans with quantified objectives and timelines (Kust et al. 2017 <sup>[[#fn:r636|636]]</sup> ; Sietz et al. 2017 <sup>[[#fn:r637|637]]</sup> ; Cowie et al. 2018a <sup>[[#fn:r638|638]]</sup> ; Montanarella 2015 <sup>[[#fn:r639|639]]</sup> ; Stavi and Lal 2015 <sup>[[#fn:r640|640]]</sup> ).

Implementing the international LDN target into national policies has been a challenge (Cowie et al. 2018a <sup>[[#fn:r641|641]]</sup> ; Grainger 2015 <sup>[[#fn:r642|642]]</sup> ) as baseline land degradation or desertification information is not always available (Grainger 2015) and challenges exist in monitoring LDN as it is a dynamic process (Sietz et al. 2017 <sup>[[#fn:r643|643]]</sup> ; Grainger 2015 <sup>[[#fn:r644|644]]</sup> ; Cowie et al. 2018a <sup>[[#fn:r645|645]]</sup> ). Wunder and Bodle (2019) <sup>[[#fn:r646|646]]</sup> propose that LDN be implemented and monitored through indicators at the national level. Effective implementation of global LDN will be supported by integrating lessons learned from existing programmes designed for other environmental objectives and closely coordinate LDN activities with actions for climate change adaptation and mitigation at both global and national levels ( ''high confidence'' ) (Stavi and Lal 2015 <sup>[[#fn:r647|647]]</sup> ; Grainger 2015 <sup>[[#fn:r648|648]]</sup> ).

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'''LDN response hierarchy. Source: Adapted from (Liniger et al. 2019; UNCCD/Science-Policy-Interface 2016).'''
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LDN response hierarchy. Source: Adapted from (Liniger et al. 2019; UNCCD/Science-Policy-Interface 2016).

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