The challenge
Land
Degradation
Unsustainable forest management, intensive agriculture, and other industrial activities disrupt and destroy large areas of productive ecosystems each year. More than 50% of forests have been cleared and 40% of arable lands are severely degraded.
The World Resources Institute estimates that there are more than 2 billion hectares of degraded land worldwide, an area twice the size of China.
The impacts
Ecosystems
Nature has lost enough biodiversity to undermine its ability to support human societies, which is even more problematic given that species are currently going extinct at a rate 100 times faster than the normal rate.
Water
It is estimated that by 2025, two-thirds of the world population will experience water stress, in the form of shortage, pollution, or increased risk of flooding.
Humanity
More than 3.2 billion people are affected by land degradation due to the loss of essential goods and services from ecosystems.
Climate
change
Deforestation, land degradation, and other land-use changes account for about 25% of total global greenhouse gas emissions, and close to 50% in Latin America and Africa.
Viridis Terra International has solutions to offer.
The Solution
Land Restoration
Ecosystem restoration has the potential to both mitigate climate change by sequestering large quantities of carbon, and to increase communities' and landscape's resilience and adaptability to natural disasters.
While improving our shared quality of life, it is estimated that each dollar invested in land restoration is worth US$30 in global benefits.