Protecting the Environment from Land Degradation: UNEP's Action in the Framework of the Global Environment Facility

Land degradation is worldwide in geographic extent and global in its environmental and socio-economic impacts. Drylands that are particularly vulnerable to land degradation occupy 41% of Earth's land. More than two billion people live in these areas and are at risk from the effects on their livelihoods. In Africa alone, 36 countries are affected by desertification that is often accentuated by the impacts of droughts.