Conservation, pastoralism and climate resilience at the heart of the policy agenda proposed by IUCN and its partnersAs the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) approaches, scheduled to take place in Mongolia, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and its partners are drawing participants’ attention to a major opportunity: “A unique opportunity to reverse the global loss of grasslands.”This initiative builds on webinars held last February and March as part of preparations for COP17. Its objective is to place the conservation, sustainable management and restoration of grasslands, savannas and rangelands at the heart of discussions and decisions at the upcoming Conference.Putting Grasslands at the Centre of Resilience PoliciesFor IUCN and its partners, COP17 represents a unique opportunity to strengthen recognition of the essential role played by grasslands in combating land degradation, building resilience to climate change and ensuring food security.The Conference should, in particular, enable governments to better align their efforts to conserve and restore grassland ecosystems, while recognizing the contribution of livestock keepers and pastoralist communities to the resilience of territories.Drawing on the draft decisions published ahead of COP17, IUCN and its partners are calling on Parties to place several priorities on the political agenda.These include ensuring the integration of regional and global commitments on sustainable grassland management, as well as improving knowledge of grassland biodiversity, their social and economic values, and the ecosystem services they provide.Recognizing the Role of Pastoralist CommunitiesIUCN also emphasizes the need to support pastoralist, transhumant, Indigenous and livestock-keeping communities, while taking into account their cultures, sustainable production systems and land rights.Another priority is the establishment of a comprehensive, representative and effectively monitored network of protected and conserved areas.The organization also calls for action to address the main drivers of grassland degradation, including fires, invasive species, land degradation and pressures associated with grazing.Integrating Grasslands into Climate PoliciesAnother major issue is the integration of grassland and soil health into national climate change adaptation policies, as well as into drought and flood preparedness and response mechanisms.IUCN and its partners are also calling for increased mobilization of financial resources and for economic incentives within agricultural policies and value chains to be adapted in order to promote practices compatible with the conservation and restoration of grasslands.“It Is Urgent to Reverse the Trend”The warning issued by IUCN is based on a worrying finding: grasslands are disappearing at a rate nearly four times faster than forests.Against this backdrop, the organization believes that urgent action is needed to reverse the degradation and loss of these ecosystems, which are essential to livestock production, biodiversity, people’s livelihoods and climate resilience.With the UNCCD COP17 in Mongolia approaching, IUCN is calling on participants, Convention focal points and all relevant stakeholders to take note of this policy agenda and contribute to making grasslands a priority in international policies aimed at combating land degradation.The COP17 Policy Agenda is already available and provides an advocacy framework for strengthening action in support of grasslands, savannas and rangelands.BBabaclimat Journal Agropasteur Voir moins