About 65% of productive land in Africa is degraded, warns FAO
About 65% of productive land in Africa is degraded, hence the need for increased restoration efforts, said the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
“Much remains to be done to exploit the potential of productive lands in Africa fully and to protect biodiversity as well as the livelihoods of the peoples of the continent,” says FAO in a report on the restoration of forests and landscapes of Africa, presented on the occasion of African Climate Week.
The UN organization notes that the net loss of forests continues to increase in Africa, with four million hectares of forests disappearing each year, noting that the arid zones of Africa are very vulnerable to climate change
Restoration is a priority for adapting and establishing resilient and sustainable food systems, advocates the FAO, specifying that desertification affects 45% of land in Africa.
The Review of the State of Forest and Landscape Restoration in Africa 2021 is a joint analysis carried out by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the African Union Development Agency – NEPAD.
The report presents the successes achieved so far as well as the difficulties and opportunities that remain across the continent to restore degraded lands due to the conversion and clearing of forests, overexploitation of natural resources, urbanization, drought, and other factors.
