Sustainable Development Goals UNDP SDG Booklet, 7x5inches for DG_final | Page 51

GOAL 15: life on land
GOAL 15: life on land
GOAL 15: life ON LAND
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of
terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests,
combat desertification, and halt and reverse
land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
Image from the Mount Tapulao Conservation Project in Zamboanga (Credit: NewCapp / UNDP)
Humans and other animals rely on other forms of life on land
for food, clean air, clean water, and as a means of combatting
climate change. Plant life makes up 80% of the human diet.
Forests, which cover 30% of the Earth’s surface, help keep the air
and water clean and the Earth’s climate in balance. That’s not to
mention they’re home to millions of animal species. But the land
and life on it are in trouble. Arable land is disappearing 30 to 35
times faster than it has historically. Deserts are spreading. Animal
breeds are going extinct. We can turn these trends around. Fortu-
nately, the Sustainable Development Goals aim to conserve and
restore the use of terrestrial ecosystems such as forests, wetlands,
drylands and mountains by 2020.
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