The island of Sri Lanka is free from serious natural hazards such as volcanic activity and earthquakes resulting from climatic extremes, but there are impacts of many natural disasters, such as landslides, floods and droughts, the intensity and frequency of which are increasing due to human interventions. Some areas of Sri Lanka are also periodically subject to cyclones that occur due to climatic conditions and geographical locations.Land degradation denotes all natural or anthropogenic processes that diminish or impair productivity of land.

In Mongolia, overgrazing and mismanagement are considered to be the causes of soil erosion and land degradation. However, the field data available on soil erosion and land degradation processes are limited. Two experimental watersheds were selected within the Kherlen river basin in Mongolia to assess the state and cause of soil erosion; this was done by monitoring the water-sediment discharge in two small catchments with different vegetation covers. The two sites-Kherlenbayan-Ulaan (KBU; 6.9 ha) and Baganuur (BGN; 7.6 ha)-have relative heights of 100 m and 150 m, respectively.

Obtaining information about soil properties under different agricultural uses to plan soil management is very important with a view to sustainability in the different agricultural systems. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in certain indicators of the physical quality of a dystrophic Red Latosol (Oxisol) under different agricultural uses. The study was conducted in an agricultural area located in northern Paraná State.

Land degradation and poverty are problems that must be tackled together for environmental conservation to succeed. However, it is rarely possible to move a population from degraded land to another area where the people can be more easily sustained. To find a new strategy that achieves both conservation and economic gains without the need to relocate a population, we examined/investigated a sustainable combination of ecological and economic development suitable for the restoration of areas of China with collapsing gullies, where the frequent steep slopes make restoration difficult.

The mountains of northern Vietnam have lost significant forest cover during the last decades due to the conversion from natural vegetation to cultivated land, leading to the depletion of soil organic matter and land degradation. The study evaluated bamboo as an alternative cropping strategy in the northern central upland of Vietnam. We analyzed above-ground carbon fixing capacity of bamboo, accumulation of soil organic carbon, and socio-economic aspects as compared to other land use systems.

Fine particulates less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) or 10 μm (PM10) are often emitted from river bank or other alluvial lands to the atmosphere during dry and windy seasons worldwide, which contribute to land degradation and poor air quality. Investigation of PM2.5 and PM10 emission potential could contribute to the development of mitigation strategy and better land management practices. In the lowprecipitation zone (

In the past few decades there has been an increasing pressure of population all over the world, especially in India, resulting in the utilization of every available patch of available land from woodlands to badlands. The study area represents a basin which is economically growing fast by converting the fallow lands, badlands and woodlands to agricultural land for the past few decades.

Arid and semi-arid regions are jeopardized by land degradation with serious consequences for the natural vegetation, plant biodiversity and sustainable use of the natural environment. This paper describes the major causes of land degradation in northern Kuwait and outlines factors that serve to maintain plant biodiversity in those affected areas that would normally be dominated by the perennial dwarf shrub Haloxylon salicornicum. A conceptual model is presented describing the four major stages of degradation in this community.

The UNCCD is the custodian agency leading an Inter-Agency Advisory Group on 15.3.1 composed of our key partner FAO as well as the CBD, UNFCCC, UNEP and UNSD to further refine the methodology and data tools/options for this indicator.

Presentation by Sasha Alexander from the UNCCD about SDG Indicator 15.3.1 about the proportion of land that is degraded over total land area.