How can land be restored after use

Other measures with lower but still significant emission reductions are improved water and rice management, set-asides, land use change, agro-forestry and improved livestock and manure management. Most of these mitigation opportuinities use currently available technologies and can be implemented immediately.

However, the IPCC notes that, technological development will be a key driver ensuring the efficacy of additional mitigation measures in the future IPCC, This description focuses on the restoration of organic or peaty soils and on restoration of degraded lands.

Organic or peaty soils accumulated large quantities of carbon due to anaerobic decomposition of the organic matter. Anaerobic decomposition, or decomposition under absence of oxygen, occurs due to the flooded conditions of peatlands. When converted to agricultural lands the soils are drained, which removes the anaerobic conditions as it introduces oxygen into the soil.

Kasimir-Klemedtsson note that, although methane emissions are suppressed after draining of the soil this effect is by far counteracted due to the pronounced increase in N20 and CO2 emissions.

Peatlands are considered an especially important aspect of land management. This huge carbon stock of peatland ecosystems is atttributed to the often thick layers of peat, as illustrated in Figure 1.

Source: Peat portal assessment report. Freibaueret al. The full restoration through increasing the water table is illustrated in Figure 1 and Figure 2. Other practices also contribute to lower emissions such as avoiding row crops and tubers, avoiding deep ploughing and maintaining a shallower water table, but these are less effective IPCC, Land degradation in general occurs due to a variety of factors.

The IPCC, based on several papers, lists the following factors: excessive disturbance, erosion, organic matter loss, salinization, acidification or other processes that curtail productivity IPCC, Carbon storage can be partly restored through practices that reclaim lost productivity such as: re-vegetation, improving fertility through nutrient amendments, applying organic substrates such as manures, reducing tillage, retaining crop residues and conserving water IPCC, Gorham and Rochefort outline the major goals of peatland restoration, the conditions that favor or oppose restoration and they assess restoration failures and successes.

The primary goal is to repair the eco-system itself. This includes the re-establishment of peatland hydrology, biogeochemical cycling and energy capture that will allow renewal of peat accumulation. An important operational necessity for peatland restoration is to act as soon as possible after the exploitation of the land has ceased. This minimizes degradation of the surface peat, which occurs through decomposition and compaction.

By , it had created an estimated 5, jobs. Source: Land for life. I till my plot of land to earn a living. SLM gave me this plot of land to farm. It used to be eroded, but now you can see how fertile it is. Since the terraces were built, the grass is well protected and we cut it for use as animal feed. This area here used to be very dusty.

Now, a lot of good things have happened to us. We just eat from our backyards using the skills SLM has given us. Countries are responding to the economic impacts of the pandemic with the greatest expenditure of public resources the world has ever seen, so it is only right that this spending goes to ensure that everyone in society benefits.

The greatest benefit to all people is to reduce the impacts of the land, climate and biodiversity crises by spending on land restoration, renewable energy, biodiversity, water and waste management, infrastructure and resource efficiency. Ecosystem Restoration Fund — expands tree planting to increase protected areas by 50 per cent.

Launched in , the G20 Global Initiative on Reducing Land Degradation and Enhancing Conservation of Terrestrial Habitats also seeks to enhance collaboration among member and non-member countries to support current commitments for land protection, sustainable land management, and restoration. Land is our greatest ally this decade as we seek to undo the damage our species has wrought on the nature, and ourselves. But first we must restore it to full health. Back to search Land restoration and its benefits — the faces of restoration.

Land degradation already threatens the livelihoods and security of over three billion people IPBES report More than countries have committed to targets and measures to restore the land, which is a strong start. And the impact can be much bigger if COVID stimulus packages are targeted toward green objectives. However, only about 2. They include: more responsible land governance, investments that protect and restore land and nature, and long-term strategic planning.

Source The land is the basis of our food, feed and fibre production systems Land is home to a vast part of the global biodiversity and provides ecosystem services such as clean water, air and climate regulation. UN News Land degradation is a lost opportunity for massive carbon sequestration. UNFCCC Solutions Current commitments from over countries specify the restoration of almost one billion hectares of land over the next decade — an area almost the size of China.

PBL report If we restore this land, we can deliver massive benefits for people and the planet. UNCCD Land-based restoration is central to creating opportunities for women and youth, who tend to be marginalized in times of crisis.

For example , women, especially in developing nations, are widely represented in agricultural production and land management and are often responsible for meeting the basic nutritional needs of their families.

They have much to gain from the increased productivity of restored lands, and often have knowledge that can be used to increase the success of restoration projects. Between now and , it is estimated that the restoration of million hectares of degraded ecosystems could remove up to 26 gigatons of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere — close to almost half of what the world emitted in — and return USD 9 trillion in ecosystem services.

UN News The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is an opportunity to ramp up and scale out these efforts to prevent, halt and reverse the loss and degradation of ecosystems worldwide. Source Land degradation neutrality LDN provides a framework to encourage sustainable land management and land restoration Land degradation neutrality LDN is based on ecological principles and understanding of human-environment interactions.

Land restoration is key to meeting the Paris Agreement Restoring degrading lands can help us mitigate climate change Restoring degrading land can do all of that quickly, at relatively low cost, and with modest technological solutions.

Source Recarbonizing the terrestrial biosphere involves creation of a positive C budget in soil and vegetation through conversion to a restorative land use and adoption of best management practices. This includes 1. Source Land restoration for a Green Recovery — The Solution Land restoration is a proven and cost-effective strategy that can jumpstart a green economic recovery. For an estimated USD 2. Restoring million hectares of degraded agricultural land could generate USD 85 billion for national and local economies, USD 30—40 billion a year in additional income for smallholder farmers and increased food security for close to million people.

Preventing topsoil loss could create nearly USD 1 trillion in benefits over the next 15 years in Africa alone. Doing nothing would cost double that. Restored Land. By , an estimated 1. Research has confirmed that elk disturb soil in areas where they are bedding, resulting in less soil moisture, less leaf litter, and less vegetation.

These grasslands are providing habitat for grassland bird and shrub-scrub species that are declining in the U. Now migratory warblers are coming in. The elk help maintain that. The plan includes guidelines for growing the elk population before opening it to hunting. Another reason for keeping the camera going: Livestreamers might eventually decide to come view the elk in person.

Places gifted with beautiful scenery see outdoor recreation as a path toward rebuilding their economies. Elk restoration adds another attraction to the marketing of the region as an outdoor destination. Breaks started offering elk-viewing tours in , three years after the Virginia elk population was introduced.

In , about people went on elk tours, Bradley said, including free trips for school groups, economic development professionals, and elected officials. All that dried up. We were really getting in some pretty dire straits. The elk help us reach a broader audience. Across the state line in Kentucky, elk have had an even more transformative effect on mountain economies. The Bluegrass State began studying elk reintroduction in the s, released its first herds in , and opened hunting in Kentucky has seen its elk population in the county region grow from 1, introduced animals to more than 10, About 10 percent of the area is reclaimed and active surface mines.

As Hill and Smith set up the last of their wildlife cameras, the weather had started to turn. Cisterns are registered in the name of the female head of the household, giving them ownership and responsibility, and a leading role in providing for their families and communities. Soil is a relatively new but very promising topic in the climate mitigation discussion.

This initiative communicates a new concept for mitigating climate change through the annual increase in soil organic carbon by 0.

It encourages farming techniques which combat soil erosion and improve soil health, such as agroecology or agroforestry. With this initiative, agriculture takes centre stage in combating climate change, while at the same time producing more food.

The initiative has been path-breaking in changing discourse and improving awareness on soil health. Even small changes in the soil carbon pool can have large-scale effects both on agricultural productivity and on greenhouse gas balance.

It buys humanity time while low-carbon or no-carbon fuel sources take effect. Even though the initiative is fairly recent, it has already received high-level endorsement and support internationally.

Partners commit to a voluntary action plan to maintain and enhance soil carbon stocks. Initiated by the scientific community, it is being developed involving a range of partners including smallholder farmers. The Future Policy Award evaluation has shown that, overall, when land is restored successfully, smallholder farmers and indigenous people are taking a leading role.

The discussion around soil carbon sequestration furthermore has the potential to empower an often marginalised group of farmers, the pastoralists. On well-managed rangelands there is less erosion, more fodder, increased water infiltration, diverse life and potentially more soil organic carbon. The impacts of good rangeland management can be immense. The difficulties in governing these vast lands, however, are reflected in the fact that only two rangeland management policies were nominated for the Future Policy Award, policies from Jordan and Namibia.

Although these policies are very different in design, they both employ principles, rather than rules and regulations, and lay the responsibility of restoring rangeland in the hands of those who manage them — Bedouin pastoralists in the case of Jordan and farmers in Namibia. Ultimately, considering the huge opportunity of storing more soil organic carbon in well-managed rangelands, pastoralists around the world have the potential to not only restore land on a massive scale but to also take a leading role in mitigating climate.

A focus here would contribute greatly to achieving progress in a number of SDGs. Editors Note: The opinions expressed here by Impakter. Ina has a diploma in political science from Hamburg University. She lives in Namibia. Impakter informs you through the magazine and empowers your sustainable lifestyle with its marketplace.