Definition of "Life on Land" as Stated in SDG 15
"Life on land," as encapsulated in Sustainable Development Goal 15 (SDG 15), refers to the protection, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems such as forests, mountains, drylands, wetlands, and grasslands, with the overarching aim of combating desertification, halting biodiversity loss, reversing land degradation, and sustainably managing forests. The scope of SDG 15 encompasses not only the safeguarding of these terrestrial environments, but also the maintenance of essential ecosystem services like carbon capture, soil protection, regulation of hydrological cycles, prevention of erosion, and provision of clean water—all of which are fundamental to human well-being and economic prosperity. Critically, SDG 15 links ecosystem viability directly to human survival by recognizing that healthy land-based ecosystems maintain the balance necessary for biodiversity, climate stability, and the fulfillment of cultural and spiritual values, especially for indigenous communities.
Specific Targets and Goals of SDG 15
SDG 15 includes several outcome-oriented goals and targets aimed for achievement mainly by 2030, though some have near-term or earlier deadlines. These targets include:
Conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems (forests, wetlands, mountains, drylands).
Sustainable management of all forest types, halting deforestation, restoring degraded forests, and increasing global afforestation and reforestation.
Combatting desertification, restoring degraded land and soils, and striving towards a land degradation-neutral world.
Ensuring the conservation of mountain ecosystems and their biodiversity.
Taking urgent and significant action to reduce habitat degradation, halt biodiversity loss, and protect threatened species.
Promoting fair and equitable benefits from genetic resource utilization, and ending poaching and illegal trafficking of flora and fauna.
Preventing and controlling the impact of invasive alien species.
Integrating ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local planning and poverty reduction strategies.
Mobilizing financial resources, particularly to support developing countries in sustainable land and forest management and conservation.
Enhancing community capacity to pursue sustainable livelihoods in conjunction with anti-poaching efforts.
These interlinked targets are designed to support ecological stability, food security, climate resilience, and equitable economic development.
Countries and Regions with the Worst SDG 15 Status
The situation regarding SDG 15 is most critical in regions facing large-scale deforestation, intensive land degradation, high rates of desertification, and dramatic biodiversity loss. They include:
The Sahel Region of Africa: Countries such as Burkina Faso, Niger, Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, and others are severely affected by desertification, overgrazing, and land degradation.
Nigeria: Possesses the highest primary forest loss globally.
Indonesia and Bolivia: Experience rapid rain forest loss due to palm oil cultivation and other drivers.
Haiti: Extensively deforested, with reports of up to 99% forest cleared.
Brazil (Amazon basin): Despite fluctuations, Brazil remains one of the worst-affected by deforestation and biodiversity loss in Latin America.
China and India: Face severe land degradation and critical biodiversity hotspots under threat from rapid development, population growth, and unsustainable land use.
Southeast Asia and Western Ghats of India: Marked hotspots for threatened species due to population pressure and habitat loss.
Collectively, nearly one-fifth of the planet’s land area is degraded, and some 3.2 billion people are negatively impacted globally, most of them residing in these regions.
Negative Impacts on Countries, Communities, and the Environment
Environmental Consequences
Rampant deforestation results in loss of biodiversity, the decline of pollinators and keystone species, reduction of ecosystem services such as clean water and fertile soil, and increased vulnerability to climate change due to the loss of carbon sinks. Land degradation, through desertification and unsustainable land management, leads to soil erosion, reduced agricultural yields, and heightened disaster risk, with some areas experiencing annual degradation of up to 100 million hectares.
Impacts on Human Populations
Food insecurity rises as productive land becomes scarce and yields decline, pushing rural and indigenous populations into deepening poverty. In many Sub-Saharan African countries, land degradation directly correlates with famine, malnutrition, and chronic hunger, often resulting in migratory movements or forced displacement. Communities experience reduced income, unemployment, disruption of traditional livelihoods, and increased vulnerability to extreme weather events. Infectious diseases associated with degraded environments—such as zoonotic and vector-borne diseases—become more prevalent. In addition, social tensions, land conflicts, and even violence can increase as individuals and groups compete for shrinking resources.
Adaptation and Survival Strategies
Populations employ mixed coping strategies. These include:
Sustainable Land Management: Adoption of agroforestry, soil conservation, and climate-resilient agriculture where possible.
Livelihood Diversification: Engaging in alternative activities or seeking work in urban centers; migration is common where livelihood options vanish.
Participation in Restoration Projects: Involvement in ecosystem restoration initiatives, such as Africa’s Great Green Wall, which both creates jobs and restores degraded areas.
Community Conservation Efforts: Local stewardship of protected areas or alternative community-based resource management.
However, these efforts are often undermined by poverty, lack of resources, weak governance, and the scale of the environmental crisis.
Other Pressing Matters in These Countries and Communities
In addition to environmental decline, affected countries contend with a challenging suite of underlying and interrelated problems:
Widespread Poverty: Socioeconomic hardship is exacerbated by land degradation, making it harder for populations to escape poverty traps.
Food Insecurity: Chronic hunger is persistent and periodically acute, especially in rural or semi-arid regions.
Political Instability and Conflict: Resource scarcity fuels tensions and sometimes violent conflict, especially in the Sahel and parts of Latin America (e.g., the Amazon basin).
Water Scarcity: Deteriorating watersheds reduce availability and quality of water, exacerbating hardship and ill health.
Health Crises: Degraded environments increase disease burdens, especially among marginalized or indigenous populations.
Weak Governance: Institutional capacity to manage resources, enforce laws, or coordinate effective responses is often limited.
Climate Change Vulnerability: Affected regions are less able to adapt to drought, flooding, and other climate extremes, compounding losses.
United Nations Institutions Active in the Worst-Affected Countries
A network of United Nations agencies and affiliated institutions are engaged in supporting SDG 15 implementation in the most affected regions:
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP): Provides scientific expertise, mobilizes political support, and leads joint restoration efforts—such as the Great Green Wall Initiative. UNEP also advocates for environmental rule of law and facilitates public awareness on biodiversity rights.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO): Supports sustainable agriculture, forestry, food security, smallholder resilience, and agroforestry with both technical and policy guidance.
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD): Coordinates responses to land degradation and desertification, facilitates national action plans, and champions initiatives like Land Degradation Neutrality.
Global Environment Facility (GEF): Provides critical financial resources for sustainable land and ecosystem management projects, often acting as a funding arm in restoration collaborations.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): Integrates SDG 15 in national development strategies, helps build local capacity, fosters inclusive development, and supports ecosystem restoration and livelihood-generation programs.
UN-REDD Programme: Works across more than 65 partner countries to promote sustainable land use, reduce deforestation, and foster climate-resilient communities.
In the Sahel and across Africa, these agencies work jointly on the Great Green Wall, land restoration, drought resilience, and community empowerment; in Asia and Latin America, similar programming focuses on forest management, reforestation, watershed protection, and livelihood development.
Modes of Support by UN Institutions
The support provided by UN institutions covers a spectrum of aligned actions:
Technical Assistance and Policy Guidance: Addressing sustainable resource management, biodiversity integration, institutional capacity, and environmental rule of law.
Project Implementation and Financing: Mobilizing global and national resources for land restoration, reforestation, and sustainable agriculture projects.
Capacity Building and Community Empowerment: Training local stakeholders in best practices for sustainable land use, restoration, and livelihood diversification.
Direct Restoration Initiatives: Scaling up landscape and watershed restoration, supporting indigenous and rural communities through participatory approaches.
Early Warning and Data Infrastructure: Enhancing monitoring and reporting systems for land degradation and biodiversity loss, often using advanced technologies.
Strengthening Policy Frameworks: Advocating policy reforms, integrating SDG 15 into national and regional strategies, and supporting governance capacity.
Conclusion
Sustainable Development Goal 15, "Life on land," is central to safeguarding terrestrial ecosystems and the billions of humans who depend on their services. The crisis is most acute in the Sahel, Sub-Saharan Africa, parts of Asia and Latin America—regions suffering from severe environmental decline, poverty, food insecurity, and climate vulnerability. The repercussions are deeply felt: undermined livelihoods, heightened disaster risks, hunger, social instability, and increasing conflict. Populations survive through adaptation and external support, but the scale and speed of degradation require persistent intervention. United Nations agencies play a pivotal role in technical support, funding, capacity building, restoration, and advocacy to reverse land degradation and restore both ecosystems and the hope for sustainable human futures.
