Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.that cover more than half of the land surface and are in a perilous condition with up to 50% degraded, a new UNCCD, poses a severe threat to food supplies and thus to the well-being or survival of billions of people, the report found.
They are “voiceless, powerless, and generally, a minority” in the political and administrative machinery, the report noted. “Although estimated to number half a billion souls, they are sometimes classified as indigenous peoples or as societal outsiders.” In addition, weak and ineffective governance, poorly implemented policies and regulations, and the lack of investment in rangeland communities and sustainable production models undermine them, the authors said.
In Europe, many rangelands have given way to urbanisation, afforestation and renewable energy production. In the United States, large tracts of grassland have been converted to crops, while some Canadian grasslands have been made fragile by large-scale mining and infrastructure projects. The report applauded growing efforts in both countries to reintroduce bison, an animal of cultural importance to indigenous peoples, to promote rangeland health and food security.
They said rangelands support the livelihoods of some of the country’s most economically disadvantaged people, who rely on them for sustenance and cultural practices, particularly livestock grazing.