When you think of drylands, do you think of miles of empty, barren desert? Well, think again!
Drylands are actually a unique type of ecosystem characterised by water scarcity and low precipitation. Plants and animals here survive on little water, adapted to the droughts and heat waves that are common in these areas.
However, just because these regions are dry does not mean that they are barren. Drylands are still productive landscapes with considerable economic potential and environmental value, but the monitoring and rehabilitation of dryland ecosystems has not attracted as much attention as other ecosystems, such as rainforests. Drylands are vulnerable, yet they are being neglected. Climate change, unsustainable land use and increasing weather scarcity are all causing drylands to degrade beyond repair, affecting ecosystems, harming biodiversity, reducing land productivity and limiting the production of crops, plants and livestock, all of which make life harder for the communities who live there.
So why should drylands be a priority?
Because a quarter of the world’s forests are in drylands
It may surprise you to know, but more than a quarter of the world's forests are located in drylands. Trees are present on almost a third of the world's dryland regions, equalling 1.1 billion hectares of forest, according to FAO’s latest Dryland Assessment. These trees and forests are hugely important for the planet. They provide habitats for biodiversity, protect land against wind erosion and desertification, provide shade for crops, animals and people, help water penetrate soils and contribute to soil fertility.
The rest of drylands aren’t just desert either: 25 percent of global drylands are grassland and 14 percent is cropland.
Because protecting drylands protects biodiversity
Drylands are home to more than a third of global biodiversity hotspots and provide critical migration points for birds.
In Northern Africa’s Saharan Desert, owing to its location at the crossroads of the Atlas Mountains, the Nile River and the desert, the region has rich biodiversity with many endemic species. In Eastern Africa’s dryland areas, vegetation ranges from woodlands, where trees can reach up to 15 meters in height, to hyper-arid landscapes with few shrubs.