世界发展银行-Sustainable-Land-Management-and--Restoration-in-the-Middle-East-and-North-Africa-Region-_-Issues,-Challenges,-and-Recommendations_107页_2mb

Summary of Sustainable Land Management and Restoration in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region

Core Content

This report provides an in-depth analysis of land degradation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, highlighting the issues, challenges, and recommendations for sustainable land management and restoration. It emphasizes the economic, environmental, and social impacts of land degradation and proposes a framework for addressing these challenges.

Main Issues and Challenges

Land Degradation Overview

• Land degradation affects up to 75% of all land globally, with 4.2 million km² degraded annually.
• In the MENA region, more than half of all land and a quarter of arable land is degraded.
• The NDVI data from 1982 to 2006 shows that over 40% of the total MENA region is vulnerable to land degradation and desertification.

Key Drivers of Land Degradation

• Hyperaridity, water scarcity, and high population growth are major factors.
• Weak land tenure and ineffective governance over natural resources contribute to degradation.
• Violent conflicts lead to mass migration and displacement, exacerbating land degradation.
• Unsustainable agricultural practices, such as monoculture farming, deforestation, and overgrazing, are significant contributors.
• Overuse of groundwater for irrigation and poor resource management policies worsen the problem.

Economic and Environmental Impacts

• Land degradation in MENA is estimated to cost 1% of GDP, with some countries experiencing losses up to 2.5%.
• The economic loss from land degradation is higher in MENA than other regions.
• Soil erosion, salinization, and nutrient depletion are among the most costly forms of degradation.
• Ecosystem service losses in MENA are four times the global average.
• Agricultural land loss in MENA has been about 20% since 1994.
• Soil degradation in the region has led to significant declines in crop yields and economic losses.

Regional Impacts and Disparities

• Mashreq (Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and Gaza) suffers more from land degradation than the rest of MENA.
• Egypt, Jordan, and Palestine have 80% of their land experiencing vegetation decline.
• Iraq, Syria, and Tunisia have over 60% of their land severely degraded.
• Jordan, Algeria, and Egypt have over 60% of their population living on degraded lands, even though degraded lands make up less than 30% of their total land area.
• Population density on degraded lands is a causal factor and indicator of severity.

Key Success Stories and Lessons

• Several successful restoration projects from other regions offer lessons and models for the MENA context, including:

  • USA Dust Bowl rehabilitation
  • Korea's national deforestation program
  • China's Great Green Wall
  • Tanzania's Shinyanga region
  • Loess Plateau watershed rehabilitation
  • Ethiopia's Tigray region agriculture development
  • Brazilian Atlantic rain forest restoration

• Lessons learned in MENA:

  • Projects should be community-based and consider local perceptions and capacities.
  • Inclusivity and training for local communities are essential.
  • Property rights and autonomy for communities must be ensured.
  • Market access and financial incentives are critical for long-term success.

P.R.I.M.E. Framework

• The P.R.I.M.E. framework is a comprehensive approach to land restoration and poverty reduction.

• It includes five pathways:

  1. Productivity (P): Increasing land and labor productivity.
  2. Rights (R): Strengthening land rights.
  3. Investments (I): Complementary investments in infrastructure and institutions.
  4. Markets (M): Increasing market access.
  5. Ecosystem Services (E): Mechanisms to enable the flow of ecosystem services.

• Most projects in the MENA region focus on productivity (P) and complementary investments (I), with very few addressing markets (M).

• Only 20% of projects address market access.

• Only 44% of projects cover three PRIME themes, with no project addressing all five.

Recommendations for Restoration

• Integrate land restoration with poverty reduction by addressing land rights, financial and market access, and community involvement.
• Increase investment in restoration by internalizing environmental and social costs.
• Leverage public and private funding to scale up restoration efforts.
• Use indigenous knowledge and sustainable practices like Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR).
• Improve data collection and monitoring for better understanding and management of land degradation.
• Strengthen governance and policy frameworks to support sustainable land use.
• Encourage private sector participation through financial incentives and risk mitigation.
• Promote cross-border collaboration to address shared environmental challenges.

Financial Barriers and Opportunities

• Public funding for restoration is limited, with only 50 billion USD available annually, and 80% from public sources.
• Private investment is only about 10 billion USD per year.
• Financing barriers include:
  • Small environmental budgets
  • Inaccessibility to climate finance
  • High discount rates and back-loaded cash flows making restoration less attractive to private investors.
• Opportunities include:
  • Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes
  • Private equity impact funds
  • International partnerships and programs such as AFR100, ME-WLI, and MENA-DELP.

Conclusion

Land degradation is a major challenge in the MENA region, with significant economic, environmental, and social impacts. While some progress has been made, systemic barriers to restoration persist. A holistic approach like the P.R.I.M.E. framework can guide effective restoration strategies, but greater investment, policy support, and community engagement are needed to achieve sustainable land management and poverty reduction.