Speaking at the opening of the Global Land Degradation Neutrality, Integrated Land Use Planning (IDN–ILUP) Inception Phase 2 Workshop in Johannesburg this Tuesday, Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Bernice Swarts, stressed that land degradation is not just an environmental issue, but a development crisis that must be tackled at all levels.

“SA is using its G20 Chairmanship to place land degradation and desertification at the heart of the global agenda,” she said. “This is not a distant problem, it is happening in our own communities, where people are struggling to grow food and secure water in the face of worsening drought conditions.”

The workshop forms part of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification’s Global Land Degradation Neutrality Target Setting Programme. It brings together delegates from across Africa and the world, including UN agencies, donor organisations, and technical experts, to share strategies for restoring degraded land and planning sustainable land use.

Swarts pointed out that while land degradation is a global issue, its impacts are deeply felt at the grassroots level in SA. “In provinces like Sekhukhune in Limpopo and parts of the Northern Cape, communities are already bearing the brunt of drought and land degradation,” she said.

She also challenged the perception that SA is immune to drought, warning that the evidence on the ground tells a different story.

“This workshop is not just about technical planning, it’s about protecting people’s ability to farm, to access food, and to build resilient livelihoods. If we don’t act now, the consequences will be devastating.”

The IDN–ILUP programme supports countries in developing integrated land use plans that balance development and conservation, with the goal of achieving land degradation neutrality by 2030.

--ChannelAfrica--