This episode of LandUP! addresses an emerging  body of work on the nexus between land tenure and land degradation neutrality.  Land degradation neutrality has been defined by the Parties to the Convention as a state whereby the amount and quality of land resources, necessary to support ecosystem functions and services and enhance food security, remains stable or increases within specified temporal and spatial scales and ecosystems.

Sustainable land governance is closely intertwined with achieving and enabling Land Degradation Neutrality. Findings show how secure tenure rights encourage landholders and users to invest in and commit to sustainable activities. Put simply, if land holders feel secure in their land holdings, they are more likely to take care of their land. They will not let it get degraded and this will take  us one step closer to achieving Land Degradation Neutrality. 

To take a deeper dive into the issues, we spoke to Professor of Geography at McGill University Dr. Jon Unruh,  Country Program Manager for Benin at TMG Research Kader Baba, and Anne Hennings Researcher at the Land Portal.