UNCCD COP17

The UNCCD COP17 was held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in August 2026. The theme was “Restoring Land. Restoring Hope.” Read here to learn more.

Land is the foundation of food security, livelihoods, ecological stability and human development. However, desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD) are increasingly threatening these foundations.

Globally, land degradation affects up to 40% of the world’s land surface, with consequences for water availability, agricultural productivity, biodiversity and economic stability.

The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, placed land restoration and drought resilience at the centre of the global environmental agenda.

Its theme, “Restoring Land. Restoring Hope.”, reflected the recognition that land restoration is not merely an environmental concern but is closely linked with food security, livelihoods and human displacement.

Key Outcomes of UNCCD COP17

1. Focus on rangelands and pastoral communities

• COP17 coincided with the UN International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP 2026).
• Rangelands support pastoral livelihoods, biodiversity, food production and carbon storage.
• However, nearly 40-45% of global rangelands are estimated to be degraded, threatening food systems and ecosystem services.
• The emphasis on pastoralists is significant because these communities are not merely beneficiaries of restoration programmes; they can also act as custodians of ecosystems, possessing valuable traditional knowledge of grazing, water management and landscape conservation.

2. Drought resilience over disaster relief

• One of the major shifts at COP17 was the movement from reactive drought relief towards anticipatory drought resilience.
• The Drought Resilience Index (DRI) was introduced as a technical tool using AI-powered analytics and vulnerability mapping to assess countries’ ability to anticipate, prepare for and adapt to drought.
• The Drought Resilience Investment Facility (DRIF) was also launched to use public resources to de-risk investments and mobilise private and institutional finance for drought resilience, water security, climate-resilient agriculture and land restoration.
• This represents an important principle for disaster management: prevention and preparedness are economically and socially more sustainable than repeated post-disaster relief.

3. Financing for land restoration

• COP17 announced USD 1.3 billion in new and pipeline financing for land restoration and drought resilience.
• However, countries could not reach agreement on a legally binding global drought treaty, despite a significant annual resilience-finance gap.
• The financing challenge illustrates a broader problem in global environmental governance: developing countries often face the greatest climate and ecological vulnerabilities while possessing relatively limited fiscal resources for adaptation and restoration.

India’s Position at COP17

India advocated a community-led and science-based approach to land restoration, while emphasising predictable international finance and the conservation of Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs).

Conservation of Open Natural Ecosystems

India launched its first “Guide to Grasslands and Other Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs)”.

• This matters because grasslands, savannas, scrublands, deserts, and ravine ecosystems have historically been perceived as degraded or “wastelands” simply because they have limited tree cover.
• Such an approach can lead to inappropriate afforestation that damages native biodiversity, groundwater systems and pastoral livelihoods.
• Examples such as the Thar, Banni landscapes, Deccan savannas and Rajasthan’s Orans demonstrate the ecological and cultural importance of India’s open ecosystems.

Progress towards land restoration

• Under the Bonn Challenge, India has brought approximately 76 million hectares of degraded and deforested land under restoration, against a target of 26 million hectares by 2030.
• India has also highlighted domestic financing mechanisms such as Sovereign Green Bonds and the Green Credit Programme to support environmental restoration.

Why Land Degradation and Drought Remain Major Challenges in India

1. Misguided afforestation

• A narrow emphasis on increasing tree cover can result in plantations in ecosystems that naturally evolved as grasslands or savannas. Such interventions may reduce biodiversity and disrupt pastoral livelihoods.
• Therefore, land restoration should not be equated with tree plantation alone.

2. Soil degradation and salinisation

• Intensive agriculture and excessive fertiliser use can reduce soil organic carbon and soil fertility. Poorly managed irrigation can also result in salinisation, reducing agricultural productivity.

3. Water-intensive agriculture

• Agricultural incentives can encourage water-intensive crops such as paddy and sugarcane even in water-stressed regions, contributing to groundwater depletion.
• This demonstrates the need to align agricultural policies with agro-ecological realities.

4. Decline of Common Property Resources

• Encroachment and degradation of Gochars, Orans and other Common Property Resources (CPRs) increase grazing pressure and weaken traditional community-based resource management.

5. Fragmented governance

• Responsibilities for land, water, agriculture, forestry and rural development are distributed across multiple institutions.
• Lack of coordination can lead to fragmented interventions rather than integrated, landscape-level restoration.

6. Climate change

• Climate change is increasing rainfall variability. Episodes of intense rainfall followed by prolonged dry periods can increase runoff, reduce groundwater recharge, accelerate soil erosion and cause reservoir siltation.
• Thus, land degradation and climate change form a vicious cycle: degraded land becomes more vulnerable to climate extremes, while climate change accelerates further degradation.

India’s Existing Initiatives

India has adopted several programmes to address land degradation and drought resilience:

• National Action Plan to Combat Desertification (NAPCD): Provides an umbrella framework for converging government programmes on land restoration and desertification.
• Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY): Supports watershed development, rainwater harvesting and soil-moisture conservation.
• Green India Mission: Promotes ecosystem restoration and carbon sequestration.
• Soil Health Card Scheme: Provides crop-specific recommendations for nutrient and fertiliser management.
• ISRO’s Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas: Uses remote sensing and GIS to identify and monitor degraded land.
• Mission Amrit Sarovar: Promotes creation and rejuvenation of water bodies for water security and groundwater recharge.
• Aravalli Green Wall Initiative: Seeks to restore degraded landscapes associated with the Aravalli range.

These initiatives demonstrate that India’s response is increasingly moving towards convergence of soil, water, vegetation and livelihood interventions.

Way Forward

1. Adopt agro-ecological zoning

• Subsidies, MSP incentives and electricity policies should increasingly reflect regional water availability and ecological conditions.
• Agro-Ecological Zoning (AEZ) can discourage water-intensive crops in water-stressed regions.

2. Shift from relief to resilience

• Drought management should rely on trigger-based anticipatory financing, where satellite observations and soil-moisture data can trigger support before a drought develops into a humanitarian crisis.

3. Restore ecosystems according to their ecological character

• Grasslands, savannas, scrublands and deserts should be recognised as distinct ecosystems rather than wastelands.
• Restoration should prioritise native species, ecological succession and removal of invasive species rather than indiscriminate tree planting.

4. Promote regenerative agriculture

• Practices such as soil-carbon restoration, biochar, residue management, improved water efficiency and drought-resilient crops can improve soil health and moisture retention.

5. Harness technology

• India can integrate satellite imagery, IoT-based soil sensors, GIS and AI-enabled early-warning systems for hyper-local drought prediction, precision irrigation and crop planning.

6. Mobilise innovative finance

• Blended finance and public de-risking mechanisms can encourage private investment in sustainable agriculture, agroforestry, land restoration and drought resilience.
• Strong Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) systems will be essential for building credible environmental markets.

7. Empower local communities

• Pastoralists, farmers, Gram Panchayats and local communities should be treated as partners in restoration.
• Traditional institutions such as Rajasthan’s Orans illustrate how community-based conservation can complement scientific approaches.

Conclusion

UNCCD COP17 reinforces the idea that land is not merely a natural resource but a foundation of ecological, economic and human security. Desertification, land degradation and drought cannot be addressed through isolated plantation drives or post-disaster relief alone.

For India, the way forward lies in combining science with traditional knowledge, ecological restoration with livelihood security, and technology with community participation. Achieving Land Degradation Neutrality will therefore require a landscape-level approach that integrates agriculture, water, forests, biodiversity and rural development.

Ultimately, restoring land means restoring the resilience of communities that depend upon it. As the COP17 theme aptly captures, restoring land is also an investment in restoring hope, livelihoods and human security.