Expected start date:

2022•11•15

Expected end date:

2023•08•31

Institute:

UNU-EHS

Project Status:

Ongoing

Project Type:

Research

Project Manager :

Yvonne Walz

Recognizing that approaches integrating sustainable management of land and water have been increasingly emerging and gaining importance in recent years, exploring and documenting the commonalities and differences between specific approaches will contribute to tracking and monitoring progress in combating desertification, drought and land degradation. Against this background, the Align4LDN project is funded by UNCCD with the overall aim of documenting coherence and alignment among approaches that contribute to the sustainable management of land and water resources, such as conservation agriculture, agroecology, regenerative agriculture, agroforestry, permaculture, biodynamic agriculture and drought-smart agriculture.

The common goals and characteristics of these approaches, which are not yet formally recognized in intergovernmental frameworks, will be documented in an integrative conceptual framing to align their fundamental components, similar to the report developed by the United Nations University – Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) presenting the coherence and alignment among Sustainable Land Management (SLM), Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA), Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR) and Nature-based Solutions (NbS).

The objective of this project is to assess the above-listed approaches against a large set of criteria (e.g., specific goals, implementation characteristics, and co-benefits), and analyze and evaluate the documented scientific evidence of these approaches regarding their contribution to sustainable management of land and water resources. Ultimately, a better understanding of the coherence and alignment of such approaches will enable stakeholders to recognize, integrate and foster their implementation and contribution to address desertification/land degradation and drought (DLDD) and achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) in a most efficient and targeted manner.

The research conducted by the project team entails an in-depth literature review, a search of relevant databases (e.g. WOCAT, GEF), as well as content analysis, consolidation and synthesis of all outcomes. Additionally, this study will conduct a stakeholder consultation process that involves experts and representatives from relevant organizations related to the mentioned approaches.