Focus: GS II: Government Policies and Interventions
Why in News?
Recently, the Union Minister inaugurated Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Land Management at Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) in Dehradun.
Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Land Management (CoE-SLM):
Background:
- The CoE-SLM was announced by the Prime Minister of India during the 14th Conference of the Parties (COP-14) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in September 2019.
Aims:
- Set Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets.
- Develop drought risk and early warning systems.
- Mainstream gender considerations in sustainable land management.
- Promote good governance of land tenure and rights.
- Assess the impacts of land degradation on greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss.
- Facilitate the restoration of degraded land through technical support, capacity building, and knowledge sharing at national and sub-national levels.
- Promote South-South Cooperation to address land degradation issues through sustainable land management practices.
Objectives:
- Assess land degradation to identify areas that require intervention.
- Conduct capacity building activities on sustainable land management frameworks aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Strengthen the assessment, monitoring, and reporting of land-based indicators outlined by the UNCCD.
