SDG #15 Life On Land

Human life depends on the earth as much as the ocean for our sustenance and livelihoods. Plant life provides 80 percent of our human diet, and we rely on agriculture as an important economic resource and means of development. Forests make up 30 percent of the Earth’s surface, providing homes for millions of species, and are important sources for clean air and water; they’re also a key ingredient to help us combat climate change.

Today we are seeing never-before-seen land degradation, and the continuing loss of land that is able to be farmed. Drought and a growing desert area are also on the rise each year, affecting poor communities globally. Of the 8,300 animal breeds known, 8 percent are extinct and 22 percent are at risk of extinction. This is an absolute tragedy: we need to reduce the loss of these natural habitats and the biodiversity, before its too late.

The SDGs aim to conserve and restore the use of terrestrial ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, drylands and mountains by 2020. Halting deforestation is also vital to mitigating the impact of climate change. Urgent action must be taken to reduce the loss of natural habitats and biodiversity which are part of our common heritage.