Green house gas emissions are decreasing way to slow right now for us to be able to achieve a sustainable future. The planet's ecosystems are under enormous pressure due to human activity. World Environment Day emphasise the global challenges our planet face and the importance to act and do more. SLU works constantly to improve different ecosystems, both in Sweden and globally.
Deforestation, rising sea levels, biodiversity loss, coral reef bleaching and loss of wetlands are just a few examples of what is happening with a changed climate. This year's theme on World Envioronment Day, Ecosystem restoration, are well explained by UN:
Ecosystem restoration means preventing, halting and reversing this damage – to go from exploiting nature to healing it. This World Environment Day will kick off the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, a global mission to revive billions of hectares, from forests to farmlands, from the top of mountains to the depth of the sea. Only with healthy ecosystems can we enhance people’s livelihoods, counteract climate change and stop the collapse of biodiversity.
The research at SLU is connected to ecosystem restorations in a very high level. One major project is towards drylands in East Africa. Drylands cover 40 % of the global land area, host 2 billion people, and support approximately 50% of the world’s livestock population.
In the drylands of East Africa, pastoral and agropastoral livelihoods are prominent. A healthy rangeland is a productive ecosystem with a high level of biomass of good quality for grazing animals, and a diverse mixture of vegetation species with a high proportion of perennials growing on healthy and fertile soil. However, dry rangelands are often degraded and have low productivity.
Read an interview with the project leader for Drylands Transform, Professor Ingrid Öborn.
Website: TripleL - Land, Livestock, Livelihoods
Blog post: Restoring degraded tropical landscapes with trees.
SLU Global supports SLU's work for global development to contribute to Agenda 2030.
SLU Global
Vice-Chancellor's Office
Agricultural Sciences for Global Development
PO Box 7005, SE-750 07 Uppsala
Visiting address: Almas Allé 7
global@slu.se www.slu.se/slu-global
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