Land Degradation Neutrality: A Pathway to Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals
摘要
Land degradation, the persistent decline in the capacity of land to provide ecosystem services, presents a significant challenge to global sustainability. It manifests itself in various forms across different geospatial scales. In Ghana, as a coastal country, a major form of land degradation is coastal erosion, and it tends to be a pressing global issue exacerbated by climate change and human activities, posing a significant threat to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Land degradation neutrality (LDN), as embodied in SDG Target 15.3, offers a novel framework for addressing this challenge by promoting sustainable land management practices and restoring degraded ecosystems. This chapter explores the application of land degradation neutrality as a pathway to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. It does this by establishing baseline conditions for the Keta study area, monitoring shoreline position trends, and examining the challenges and opportunities of LDN implementation in coastal areas as far as the SDGs are concerned. The chapter begins with an introduction to the environmental issues in coastal areas, especially in Ghana, presents the strategies and practices of land degradation neutrality (LDN) and the science and principles of land degradation neutrality (LDN), and examines the role of land degradation neutrality (LDN) in achieving the SDGs. It finally showcases how the LDN framework can mitigate coastal erosion through geospatial methods. By integrating scientific knowledge with policy recommendations and practical examples, this chapter provides a comprehensive understanding of LDN as a valuable tool for achieving sustainable coastal management and contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).