Land governance, natural resources, and climate change in the Arab region

Developed by the Arab Land Initiative’s partners UN-Habitat, Global Land Tool Network and Lebanese Center for Policy Studies (LCPS) with the support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the report “Land, Natural Resources and Climate Change in the Arab Region” describes how poor land governance and natural resource management adversely impact biodiversity, land degradation neutrality and climate mitigation and adaptation.

Based on the analysis of case studies, outcomes of regional expert consultations and examination of existing bibliography, the report confirms that climate change, the greatest challenge of the 21st century, is impacting land, natural resources and ecosystems in the Arab region, with dire negative consequences on people’s lives and livelihoods.

Good land governance and land tenure security are essential to mitigate challenges and foster sustainable development in the context of climate change. The report recommends setting, committing to, and reporting against land-related SDG indicators and national land degradation neutrality (LDN) targets. Sustainable land management and land-use planning are reconfirmed as key tools to halt land, rangeland and forest degradation and guide urban expansion. The report proposes adopting fit-for-purpose and climate-resilient land administration approaches to promote practical solutions to security of tenure and land-use management.