World Drought Atlas

Table of Contents☰

About World Drought Atlas:

It was launched by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in collaboration with the European Commission Joint Research Centre.
It explains how worsening drought risks are linked to human activities and then delves into the impacts of drought in five key areas—water supply, agriculture, hydropower, inland navigation, and ecosystems.
It features 21 case studies from around the world, underscoring that no country—whatever its size, GDP, or latitude—is immune to drought and all can better prepare for it.
It describes concrete measures and pathways to manage, reduce, and adapt to systemic drought risks; underscores the co-benefits of these actions for different sectors; and showcases best practices from different regions.
The measures highlighted in the Atlas fall into three categories:
- Governance (e.g. early warning systems, microinsurance for smallholder farmers, pricing schemes for water usage);
- Land-use management (e.g. land restoration and agroforestry);
- Management of water supply and use (e.g. wastewater reuse, managed groundwater recharge and conservation.)

Q1: What is the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification?

It is the only legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management. The Convention addresses the arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas, known as the drylands, where some of the most vulnerable ecosystems and peoples can be found.

News:75% global population to be affected by drought in 25 years: UNCCD’s ‘Drought Atlas’ provides adaptation guideline