The theoretical concept of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) developed by the UNCCD needs testing at the national level. We studied the uncertainties and challenges for LDN application in Russia as a country with high variability of natural and social-economic conditions. Having a great influence on the political decision-making and institutional politics is one of the challenges, and in this regard we found: (i) in national legislation: inadequate conceptualization of land as a natural entity, and of the processes of land degradation for nonagricultural lands, especially occurring in boreal and arctic regions; (ii) the need for a differentiated approach to establishing LDN baseline for different regions within the country with different causes and trends of degradation revealed through the great territory; (iii) the importance of assessing accumulated degradation risks as the basis for articulating priorities in LDN response hierarchy; (iv) the importance of a differentiated approach for selecting time intervals for determining the LDN baseline, taking into account long-term natural and socioeconomic processes. Despite the well-established State Land Monitoring system in Russia, these circumstances identify the following tasks required to achieve LDN objectives: (i) zoning of the country's territory in accordance with the classification of like for like exchanges in various biophysical and socio-economic conditions; (ii) considering the role of natural restoration processes in the planning of LDN activities in natural and managed systems. Principles that appear important for developing national LDN policy are: close interaction with climate change adaptation programs, detailed land degradation assessment for non-agricultural lands, keeping administrative division of territory as the basis for LDN spatial monitoring.
Kust, G; Andreeva, O; Lobkovskiy, V; Telnova, N
Uncertainties and policy challenges in implementing Land Degradation Neutrality in Russia
Environmental Science & Policy