Every year on 17 June, "Desertification and Drought Prevention Day" is organized by the United Nations.
To combat desertification and drought, the day emphasizes on changing public attitudes towards land degradation and desertification.
The day was declared by the United Nations in the year 1995 after it was drafted by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.
The theme of World Desertification and Drought Prevention Day 2022: “Rising up from Drought Together”
The day focuses on transforming poor land into healthy or fertile soil to combat desertification.
The desertification of land is mainly caused by human activities and climate change.
This is due to dry land ecosystems that are extremely vulnerable to overexploitation and inappropriate use of land.
The day highlights the need for an early measure to avoid any disastrous consequences for humanity and the planetary ecosystem.
SDG No. 15 Helps in Preventing Land Erosion:
Protecting the Earth from erosion is included in the 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDG 15 aims to prevent land degradation. As the global population is increasing, the global prosperity is increasing, there is a greater need for land to meet the need for food, clothing and animal feed.
According to an estimate by the United Nations, the world population will reach 10 billion by the year 2050. To meet the requirement of such a large population, an additional 593 million hectares of agricultural land would be required by the year 2050 as compared to the level of 2010. Which is twice the area of India.
Therefore, to deal with this future crisis, it is necessary that the world community, together with arid, semi-arid and dry wetlands, not only stop the rapidly growing deserts in the world, but convert them into arable land and use it for human welfare.
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