1000L at UNCCD COP16: Cooperation Is Green Infrastructure: A Whole-of-Society Response to Combat Desertification and Long-Term Drought

As land degradation, long-term drought and desertification increasingly pose threats to ecosystems, economies, and livelihoods worldwide, locally led, multisectoral landscape partnerships are proving essential in creating a resilient, sustainable response over the long term. Often seen solely through the lens of technology and construction, green infrastructure projects must be understood to include community-led, landscape-scale solutions that engage local people as integral partners in land and water management. Our panel will explore how landscape partnerships function as an essential component of green infrastructure–advocating for, implementing and supporting water retention, sustainable land use, and ecosystem restoration projects at a scale that is meaningful from the local to international scale. 

The session will focus on:

• How collaborative landscape partnership bodies serve as green landscape partnership infrastructure for drought resilience and desertification mitigation.
• Funding needs and long-term support required for the partnerships, process, and local green infrastructure projects within a landscape zonal setting.
• Barriers to success, including resource constraints and policy challenges.
• The crucial role of long-term investment in dryland resilience and the wide-ranging societal benefits it provides—improving water quality, supporting local economies, enhancing food security, bridging rural-urban gaps and bolstering urban-rural linkages.
• The global impact of investing in landscape partnerships, helping meet objectives for climate adaptation, biodiversity conservation, land restoration, and sustainable development.