Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav addressed the national event marking World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2026 at Paryavaran Bhavan, New Delhi, on Wednesday, 17 June 2026, highlighting India's progress in land restoration and the human cost of desertification for farmers, pastoralists, and rural families.

Context

Speaking at the event, Yadav framed desertification and drought as crises that go beyond ecology. 'Desertification and drought are not merely environmental crises; they are the concern of farmers who look to the sky with hope, the suffering of pastoralists whose livelihoods depend on grazing lands, and the struggle of families for whom water is the very foundation of life,' he said.

The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, observed every year on 17 June, is a United Nations observance that draws attention to land degradation and the communities most vulnerable to it. India has been a party to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) since 1994.

Policy Backdrop

India committed to restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 under the Bonn Challenge, a global voluntary initiative launched in 2011. Yadav stated that India has already brought 21.76 million hectares under restoration efforts — a significant share of that target — under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Key programmes driving this progress include Ek Ped Ma Ke Naam, a nationwide citizen plantation campaign launched in 2024 encouraging people to plant trees in honour of their mothers, and CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority), established under the 2016 Act to channel afforestation funds into ecological restoration.

The minister also highlighted the Aravalli Green Wall Initiative, a landscape-level restoration programme spanning the Aravalli hill range across Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Delhi. Formally announced in 2023, the project aims to restore 1.35 million hectares over five years. Yadav noted that the initiative has surpassed its annual targets in financial year 2025–26.

Stakeholders and Impact

The communities most directly affected by land degradation in India include smallholder farmers dependent on rain-fed agriculture, pastoralists whose grazing lands are shrinking, and rural households in arid and semi-arid zones facing acute water stress. The Aravalli corridor, historically a natural barrier against desert encroachment from the Thar Desert, has faced decades of mining, encroachment, and vegetation loss.

Programmes like CAMPA and the Aravalli Green Wall attempt to address these pressures through a combination of state-level implementation and central funding, integrating biodiversity goals with drought resilience and rural livelihood support — an approach aligned with the 'whole-of-society' framework promoted under India's LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) mission.

What's Next

India faces a mid-term review of its land restoration targets ahead of UNCCD COP17, where it will be expected to report on voluntary land degradation neutrality commitments. The performance of the Aravalli Green Wall in FY 2025–26 and the aggregate restoration figure of 21.76 million hectares will likely form the core of India's submission.

With 4.26 million hectares still to be brought under restoration to meet the 2030 Bonn Challenge pledge, the pace and quality of ongoing programmes will be closely watched by both domestic stakeholders and international bodies over the next four years.