At the UN COP16 summit in Riyadh, global leaders and experts are confronting the urgent connection between desertification, land degradation, and drought—drivers of forced migration and insecurity worldwide.
According to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), 40% of the world’s agricultural land is degraded, a figure that grows each year. UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw underscored the human cost at the summit’s opening: “Land is not just a means of livelihood. It carries the stories, dreams, and hopes of its people. Yet, fertile soil that once sustained communities is turning barren, forcing millions to leave their homes.”
Declining resources and rising conflicts
COP16 President Abderrahman Al-Fadhli, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, emphasized the link between land degradation, migration, and conflict:
“Resource-related conflicts and political instabilities often stem from land degradation and resource loss. Droughts push rural populations to cities or across borders, creating pressure points globally.”
This reality is starkly visible in northern Kenya, where families are abandoning cracked fields for overcrowded cities or makeshift camps. Sociologist Julia Fuelscher, participating in COP16, shared insights from her work in Marsabit County: “Many families migrate to Nairobi or even abroad, seeking better prospects. Riyadh is a popular destination for Kenyans, aligning with their faith and needs.”
The Lake Chad Basin crisis
The Lake Chad Basin offers a striking example of the devastation caused by land degradation. The lake, now 90% smaller than a few decades ago, has left over 6 million people at risk of severe food shortages in the coming months.
Nigeria’s Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, highlighted the cascading effects: “Lake Chad’s shrinkage has destroyed livelihoods, creating fertile ground for conflict and insurgency, including Boko Haram’s rise. The ecosystem disruption mirrors what is happening across northern Nigeria.”
Chadian activist Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim explained how scarcity fosters desperation: “Communities crowd around shrinking resources, sparking intercommunal conflicts. Armed groups exploit this vulnerability, recruiting people who are desperate to maintain dignity.”
A global call to action
Thiaw likened the situation to a medical emergency: “When a patient is bleeding, the first step is to stop the hemorrhage. We must halt land degradation, restore ecosystems, and heal the wounds inflicted on the planet.”
Restorative projects like the Great Green Wall offer hope by rehabilitating millions of hectares of degraded land in Africa. However, Thiaw stressed that these efforts require urgent and substantial funding to deliver long-term solutions.
As COP16 continues, the message is clear: addressing land degradation is not only an environmental imperative but also a cornerstone for ensuring global stability and security.
