Kathmandu, June 17 (RSS): Nepal observed the World Day to combat desertification this year under the theme of “Land has true value — invest in it”. This focused to protect and conserve the value of land by promoting sustainable land management and land degradation neutrality through investment on organic and fairly trade products for the sustainable way of living and, producing and consuming, the Ministry of Forests and Environment said in a press statement today.
Effective observation of this theme is expected to contribute to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 15.
Nepal encourages relevant organizations including non-governmental and private organization to advance people’s awareness in addressing land degradation and dryness being one of the highly prioritized environmental concerns, reads the statement further.
Nepal has adopted National Action Programme in 2004, which is implementing and improving programmes to further minimizing land degradation and dryness.
According to the statement, this day helps provide opportunities to integrate management actions to improve land productivity, restore degradation and ensure sustainable use of land, water and forests resources with people’s participation.
Nepal is a party to United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) since 1997 and the convention was adopted in 1994. The World Day to Combat Desertification has been observed since 1995 to promote public awareness relating to international cooperation and national efforts to combat desertification and land degradation.
