Land degradation and drought now affect about 40 per cent of the planet’s land and threaten the livelihoods of 3.2 billion people, putting food, water and economic stability at the centre of negotiations at the UN desertification conference in Mongolia.
COP17 opened in Ulaanbaatar with calls to move from pledges to measurable restoration. Mongolia illustrates the scale of the challenge: nearly 77 per cent of its territory is degraded, around one-third of its population depends on pastoralism, and more than seven million livestock were lost during severe droughts and exceptionally cold winters in 2023 and 2024.
A global economic and food-security risk
Rangelands provide close to 70 per cent of the world’s livestock feed and support roughly two billion people. Their deterioration therefore affects much more than remote landscapes; it reaches food prices, rural incomes, migration and the resilience of national economies.
UN figures place the annual global cost of land degradation and drought near $900 billion. Drought alone, which has increased by almost one-third since 2000, is associated with about $300 billion in yearly losses.
The financing gap remains large. Around $355 billion is estimated to be needed each year for land restoration and drought resilience, compared with current investment of about $77 billion. Private finance supplies only around six per cent of the total even though many businesses depend directly on reliable land and water.
Delegates are examining early-warning systems, vulnerability assessments, sustainable agriculture and stronger international cooperation. The conference is also seeking deeper participation from governments, development banks, companies and investors so that restoration commitments can translate into projects on the ground.