Auteur(s) : Migheli Quirico, Chotte Jean-Luc, Brahimi Youssef, Serraj Rachid, Tapsoba François 

Purpose

Land is fundamental to human well-being. It sustains food production, regulates water, stores carbon, supports biodiversity and provides the ecological foundation for livelihoods, cultures and economic development. Protecting these functions is central to achieving the objectives of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Over the past three decades, scientific knowledge on desertification, land degradation and drought has expanded considerably. Countries have adopted national strategies, monitoring systems have improved and practical experience has demonstrated that land degradation can be prevented, reduced and reversed through sustainable land management and ecosystem restoration. The concept of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) has further strengthened the Convention by providing a common framework for balancing ongoing land degradation with measures that restore and improve land resources.

Despite these advances, desertification remains one of the least understood global environmental challenges. Unlike floods, wildfires or storms, land degradation usually develops gradually. Changes in soil health, vegetation, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning often become visible only after years of cumulative decline. As a result, desertification rarely generates the public attention or political urgency associated with sudden environmental crises, even though its consequences affect food security, water availability, climate resilience, rural livelihoods and economic stability. This gap is not primarily one of scientific knowledge, it is also a question of communication.

The implementation of the UNCCD depends on the ability of governments, researchers, practitioners, civil society, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, youth and the private sector to build a shared understanding of why healthy land matters, why degradation must be prevented and how restoration contributes to sustainable development. Communication is therefore not simply an instrument for raising awareness, it is an enabling component of implementation, supporting informed decision-making, participation, cooperation and long-term commitment.

This discussion paper has been prepared as a contribution to the COP17 side event From an Invisible Crisis to Collective Action: Communicating about Desertification and Mobilising Solutions., jointly organised by the French Scientific Committee on Desertification (CSFD), DesertNet International (DNI), Nucleo di Ricerca sulla Desertificazione (NRD) and La Route du Sel et de l’Espoir. Its purpose is to stimulate dialogue on how communication can better support the objectives of the Convention, strengthen public and political engagement and encourage collective action towards Land Degradation Neutrality.