White Paper on Economic and Social Impacts of Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought

There is a widespread consensus that the pressing issues of Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought (DLDD) are inadequately addressed in today’s political agenda at the  global, regional and national levels. It is therefore of vital importance to raise awareness on the issues, not only on the negative impacts of DLDD in terms of socio-economic development, but also on the opportunities that they may create to help to guide current and future  land management practices to be more sustainable and resilient. 

Understanding and evaluating the economic and social costs and benefits associated with DLDD is essential to developing cost-effective policies and strategies for addressing DLDD and in raising this awareness. This paper discusses the economic and social impacts of DLDD.