Land degradation neutrality: The science-policy interface from the UNCCD to national implementation

Opportunities and Limitations for Achieving Land Degradation-Neutrality through the Current Land-Use Policy Framework in Kenya

“…Relying on the current land-use policy framework to address LDN will likely result in some gaps and anomalies. Reports from the pilot countries participating in the LDN TSP indicate that every country has its own cocktail of challenges, including so called "failures of the past" [69]. In light of the challenges the 2002 NAP [12] was designed to address, the assessment carried out in the current study has indicated a number of failures of the past.…”

“…While the implementation of some SLM measures (Table 1) are likely to be within reach of many land users [6], significant investments will be required to coherently implement transformative LDN programmes and projects, that include sustainable interventions at scale, while featuring innovation in terms of locally adapted technologies, inclusive governance arrangements, and financial mechanisms [78]. Given that funding for LDN initiatives from the national budgets may not be sufficient, and that the UNCCD s financial mechanisms (the Global Mechanism and the Global Environment Facility) have not mobilised enough resources to implement the Convention [69], countries will need to pursue strategies to attract innovative sources of funding. One such source is the independent LDN Fund that pools capital from public and private sources to support LDN initiatives [79].…”

“…Further, at the operational level, the regional and county level documents contained statements on the need to bridge financial gaps and attract additional investments for projects by engaging external partners, particularly the private sector. To ensure that sufficient funding is available for LDN implementation over an extended period, Kenya will need to harness a mixture of financial sources and mechanisms, but more importantly, create a coherent and enabling environment for LDN investments [69].…”

Delivering an enabling environment and multiple benefits for land degradation neutrality: Stakeholder perceptions and progress

“…Establishing an effective financial enabling environment includes adequate assessment of financial resource requirements, identification of sources of finance, and securing and allocating finance or setting in place instruments and mechanisms to incentivize the allocation of financial resources towards LDN ( Akhtar-Schuster et al, 2011 ; Chasek et al, 2019 ).…”

“…Since 2015, the UNCCD secretariat and the Global Mechanism of the UNCCD have supported a total of 122 countries (as of late 2019) through the LDN Target Setting Programme which aids nations in the definition of baselines, targets and associated measures to achieve LDN by 2030 1 . An emerging expert literature ( Chasek et al, 2019 ; Wunder and Bodle, 2019 ; Okpara et al, 2019 ; Bodle, 2018 ; Akhtar-Schuster et al, 2017 ; Cowie et al, 2019 ; Kust et al, 2018 ; Von Maltitz et al, 2019 ; Solomun et al, 2018 ; Speranza et al, 2019 ; Herrick et al, 2019 ) highlights a range of challenges to the implementation of interventions to attain LDN, including a lack of political will and leadership often due to limited insight into the concept of LDN and its cross-sectoral benefits, inadequate targets, rules and guidelines, land tenure insecurity, disregard for integrative approaches required for SLM, and a lack of earmarked funds as well as other resources, all related to an enabling environment for LDN. In the context of the 17 SDGs, another key challenge relates to the interlinkages between LDN and other targets and the need to understand and manage these interrelationships.…”