Knowledge Nugget | From grasslands to drought resilience: Key takeaways from UNCCD CoP 17

2. The UNCCD is the only legally binding framework for addressing desertification and the effects of drought. There are 197 Parties to the Convention, including 196 country Parties and the European Union.

3. The Conference of the Parties was established by the Convention as its main decision-making body. It consists of governments and organizations like the EU and guides the Convention to address global challenges and national needs.

4. The COP has been meeting biennially since 2001. Notably, UNCCD COP16 took place from 2-13 December 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Key Highlights of CoP 17 of UNCCD

1. Community-Led Restoration of Rangelands: India emphasised on the critical role of rangelands in sustaining pastoralist communities, conserving biodiversity and regulating water and carbon cycles. 

2. Shift from Drought Response to Drought Resilience: India called for a fundamental shift in the global approach to drought – from reactive relief to proactive, technology-enabled resilience. He also highlighted India’s coordinated, multi-institutional approach integrating early warning, mitigation, relief and community resilience.

3. India’s first guide to grasslands: India launched its first-ever Guide to Grasslands and Other Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs) of India at the COP 17 to the UNCCD. India’s Guide to Grasslands and ONEs marks an important step in the direction of strengthening their conservation, restoration, and sustainable management. 

— It highlights the rich diversity, ecological significance, and socio-economic importance of India’s grasslands and other open natural ecosystems.

— It brings together information on major ONEs across India, covering their geographical settings, ecological characteristics, biodiversity, and the communities and tribes associated with them. It also contains sections on pastoralism, fire ecology, and carbon sequestration. 

— The minister for environment, forest, and climate change, Bhupender Yadav, described the guide as an important step towards recognizing India’s open natural ecosystems and stressed the need for their science-based conservation alongside forests.

— Notably, India’s ONEs range from Himalayan and Terai grasslands to the Thar and Banni landscapes, rocky plateaus, ravines, scrublands, Deccan savannas, coastal ecosystems, and desert landscapes.

4. India calls for Diversified and Sustained International Finance for Land Restoration and Drought Resilience: Restoration of degraded land is not a cost but an investment in food, water, biodiversity, livelihood and long-term resilience, said Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav.

— The minister highlighted India’s blended green-finance framework, which enables financing for climate-change adaptation, sustainable land use, forestry and agriculture, afforestation and biodiversity conservation, as per a government press release.

BEYOND THE NUGGET: World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought and

Bonn Challenge

1. June 17 is observed as the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought under the UNCCD. The day serves as a global platform to raise awareness and promote action against desertification, land degradation and drought. 

2. The theme for this year is “Rangelands: Recognize. Respect. Restore.” Notably, the UN has declared 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP).

India’s Second progress report on the Bonn Challenge

1. India has restored 21.7 million hectares of degraded and deforested land between 2011 and 2020, according to the country’s second progress report on the Bonn Challenge released by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on 17th June, 2026. This includes restoration through planted forests, natural regeneration, silviculture, agroforestry, and mangrove restoration.

2. The Bonn Challenge is a global initiative launched in 2011, with the efforts of the Government of Germany and IUCN. IUCN acts as the Secretariat of the Bonn Challenge.

3. The Bonn Challenge makes a commitment to restoring 150 million hectares of degraded and deforested landscapes by 2020, and an additional target of 350 million hectares by 2030.

4. The Bonn Challenge is a direct contribution to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. It offers a practical way of achieving international commitments, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Aichi Biodiversity Targets of the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD), and the Paris Agreement.

Post Read Question

What is/are the importance/importances of the ‘ United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification’ ? (UPSC CSE 2016)

1. It aims to promote effective action through innovative national programmes and supportive international partnerships.

2. It has a special/particular focus on South Asia and North Africa regions, and its Secretariat facilitates the allocation of a major portion of financial resources to these regions.

3. It is committed to bottom-up approach, encouraging the participation of local people in combating desertification.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer key

(c)

(Sources: Land restoration not a cost but investment in food, water and livelihood: Environment minister, Knowledge Nugget | India’s first guide to grasslands: Why it matters)

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