Zabaykalsky Krai has emerged as one of Russia's regions most vulnerable to desertification, according to Yasmin Fuad, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The process is not a sudden event but a systemic degradation where arid conditions trigger a chain reaction: soil loses its productivity, ecosystems collapse, and the frequency of wildfires increases. The scale of the damage is rooted in long-term environmental shifts. As early as 2007, records indicated that 1.57 million hectares of land had already undergone desertification, driven by wind and water erosion, soil salinization, and a chronic deficit of precipitation. The vulnerability is most acute in the region's agricultural heartland. Research published in the journal Biosphere in 2022 reveals a stark disparity in land quality: 78% of the region's arable land is located in erosion-prone areas, and 64% is subject to deflation-the process where wind strips away the fertile topsoil. This risk profile is significantly higher than in neighboring regions like Buryatia and Khakassia, where deflation-prone lands ranged from 44% to 51% during the same period. This soil degradation works in tandem with the loss of forest cover. Governor Alexander Osipov reported in April 2025 that the region has lost 30% of its forest fund over the last three decades due to a combination of human activity and fire. Data from Global Forest Watch quantifies the 2025 impact alone at 1.8 million hectares of natural forest lost, resulting in an estimated release of 190 megatonnes of CO2.

At UNCCD COP17, the GEF-funded Strengthening Civil Society Role in Achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (CS4LDN) initiative helped bring civil society experience into the global conversation on finan...

Building on cooperation at UNCCD COP17, the proposed group aims to improve policy alignment, coordinate funding and technical support, and strengthen community participation across three interconnected environmental agendas. Mongolia, Armenia and Türkiye support efforts to advance a voluntary initiative ahead of COP31 in Antalya. The presidencies of the three Rio Conventions are advancing efforts to strengthen cooperation on climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation, with a proposed voluntary, country-led initiative expected to move towards a possible launch at the UN climate conference in Türkiye next month. The initiative, known as the Rio Synergies Group for Action, was discussed at a high-level dialogue in Yerevan on Wednesday (28 October), co-hosted by the COP presidencies of Mongolia, Armenia and Türkiye. Titled “Enhancing Policy Coherence and Cooperation to Support the Implementation of the Rio Conventions”, the dialogue was supported by the Joint Liaison Group and the UNCCD-G20 Global Land Initiative. It brought together representatives of the three convention secretariats, national governments, Indigenous Peoples, youth groups and international organisations. The three Rio Conventions establish international frameworks for addressing climate change, protecting biodiversity and combating desertification, land degradation and drought. Although each has a distinct mandate, their objectives are closely connected. Coordinated action can...

Building on cooperation at UNCCD COP17, the proposed group aims to improve policy alignment, coordinate funding and technical support, and strengthen community participation across three interconnected environmental agendas. Mongolia, Armenia and Türkiye support efforts to advance a voluntary initiative ahead of COP31 in Antalya. The presidencies of the three Rio Conventions are advancing efforts to strengthen cooperation on climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation, with a proposed voluntary, country-led initiative expected to move towards a possible launch at the UN climate conference in Türkiye next month. The initiative, known as the Rio Synergies Group for Action, was discussed at a high-level dialogue in Yerevan on Wednesday (28 October), co-hosted by the COP presidencies of Mongolia, Armenia and Türkiye. Titled “Enhancing Policy Coherence and Cooperation to Support the Implementation of the Rio Conventions”, the dialogue was supported by the Joint Liaison Group and the UNCCD-G20 Global Land Initiative. It brought together representatives of the three convention secretariats, national governments, Indigenous Peoples, youth groups and international organisations. The three Rio Conventions establish international frameworks for addressing climate change, protecting biodiversity and combating desertification, land degradation and drought. Although each has a distinct mandate, their objectives are closely connected. Coordinated action can...

Smallholder farmers promote agrifood systems for biodiversity  (📷JEEP) As Food and Agriculture Day approaches at UN Biodiversity COP17 in...

For the first time ever, food and agricultural systems earned their own key messages in the IUCN position paper for a Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UN...

For Lucia Gerbaldo, Gender and Social Inclusion Expert and WeCaN Coordinator at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the project addresses two interconnected priorities: documenting successful land management practices in dryland regions and strengthening women’s ability to advocate for gender-responsive EbA across the Rio Conventions. Through training provided by the Kaschak Institute, WeCaN members have developed skills in negotiation, advocacy and understanding the formal processes of international conventions. WOCAT has complemented this work with training on its gender-responsive sustainable land management (SLM) tool, helping trained facilitators document successful practices and gather evidence that can inform policymakers. For Lucia, however, the value of these activities extends beyond technical skills. WeCaN provides a space where women can share experiences, learn from one another, build confidence and develop collective advocacy messages. She emphasises the importance of connecting women's local expertise with international policy processes, noting that many women are already active in their communities but lack opportunities to bring their knowledge and priorities to global discussions. The project helps bridge this gap, supporting women to move from local action to national and international engagement. Its longer-term approach also recognises that meaningful participation cannot begin and end with a single...

「COP」（締約国会議）と聞くと、気候変動を議論するCOPや、生物多様性を議論するCOPを思い浮かべる人が多いのではないだろうか。実はもう一つ、1992年の地球サミットを起点とする「リオ3条約」の一つに、国連砂漠化対処条約（UNCCD）がある。 2026年8月、その第17回締約国会議（COP17）がモンゴル・ウランバートルで開催された。今月にはUNCCDによる報告書も公表され、COP16から続いて...

UNCCD - COP17- Mongolia, United States disrupted negotiations on gender, civil society participations and cooperation between the Rio Conventions.

While members of the climate community might most readily associate ‘COP’ with our own annual United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP taking place this November, 2026 marks a triple COP year, with summits held for each of the three United Nations environmental frameworks. As this Editorial goes to press, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP17 is about to begin in Yerevan, Armenia. In August, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) COP17, held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, saw parties reach agreement on a range of topics, including important agendas related to rangelands and pastoralists, and the launch of a global Drought Resilience Investment Facility (DRIF), aimed to mobilize finance for drought resilience. Among the noted outcomes of the UNCCD COP17 were calls to strengthen the synergies across the three Rio Conventions, an appeal that is expected to be echoed as the COPs continue. In line with this, we share pieces that discuss the interlinked environmental crises and planetary goals and their implementation, with a specific focus on biodiversity conservation efforts in the Anthropocene. In this issue of Nature Climate Change, a Comment by Hollie Folkard-Tapp and colleagues focuses on the implementation architecture of the COPs —...