Dryland Regeneration: The Investment Case

Economic Logic, National Commitments, and Technological Pathways

1. Executive Summary

Drylands cover roughly 41% of the global land surface and support over two billion people[^1]. These ecosystems face accelerated degradation due to unsustainable land use, climate change, and desertification[^2]. Restoring drylands offers a critical pathway to climate resilience, biodiversity recovery, and socio-economic uplift. This investment case presents scalable regenerative strategies, aligned with global commitments and emerging technologies, to unlock the vast potential of dryland ecosystems.

2. The Global Dryland Challenge

Drylands include arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas characterized by water scarcity and fragile soils[^3]. Unsustainable practices have led to land degradation affecting an estimated 3.2 billion hectares worldwide[^4]. The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) highlights dryland restoration as central to achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN)[^5].

Key consequences of dryland degradation include:

• Loss of soil fertility and structure[^6]

• Reduced vegetation cover and biodiversity[^7]

• Increased vulnerability to drought and climate extremes[^8]

• Threats to food security and livelihoods[^9]

  
  

3. National and International Commitments

Countries hosting drylands have committed to ambitious targets under UNCCD and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 15 (Life on Land)[^10]. Restoration of degraded drylands is a priority in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement[^11]. Several international funding mechanisms now prioritize dryland projects for carbon credits and ecosystem services payments[^12].

4. Investment Rationale: Economic Logic

Nature-based solutions in drylands can generate significant returns through:

• Carbon sequestration and associated credits[^13]

• Sustainable agriculture and agroforestry yields[^14]

• Water security and resilience building[^15]

• Biodiversity and ecosystem service enhancements[^16]

  
  

Global estimates value the market for dryland restoration in the multi-trillion-dollar range over the next decades[^17]. Early investment secures foundational infrastructure and community engagement critical for scalable impact[^18].

5. Technological Pathways and Regenerative Approaches

Successful dryland regeneration integrates:

• Soil restoration techniques: organic amendments, erosion control[^19]

• Vegetation management: native species reintroduction, assisted regeneration[^20]

• Water harvesting: contour bunds, micro-catchments, and innovative moisture capture systems[^21]

• Monitoring and data: remote sensing, soil sensors, and cloud-based reporting[^22]

  
  

Pilot programs demonstrate measurable improvements in soil health, water retention, and biomass productivity within 2–5 years[^23].

6. Risk Management and Scalability

Risk factors include climate variability, socio-political contexts, and technological adaptation. Adaptive management, strong local partnerships, and iterative monitoring underpin resilience[^24]. The modular project framework allows phased scaling from pilots to regional clusters[^25].

7. Call to Action

We invite impact investors, development agencies, and partners to engage in scaling dryland regeneration. Comprehensive proposals, financial models, and technical briefs are available upon request.

8. References

1. Reynolds, J.F., et al. (2007). Global desertification: building a science for dryland development. Science, 316(5826), 847-851.

2. UNCCD (2017). Global Land Outlook, first edition.

3. UNEP (2020). Drylands: A Global Overview.

4. Bai, Z., et al. (2008). Global assessment of land degradation and improvement.

5. UNCCD (2019). Land Degradation Neutrality Target Setting Programme.

6. Lal, R. (2001). Soil degradation by erosion. Land Degradation & Development, 12(6), 519-539.

7. Maestre, F.T., et al. (2012). Plant species richness and ecosystem multifunctionality in global drylands. Science, 335(6065), 214-218.

8. IPCC (2022). Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability.

9. FAO (2019). The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World.

10. SDG Knowledge Hub (2018). Sustainable Development Goal 15 Progress Report.

11. UNFCCC (2020). Nationally Determined Contributions Synthesis Report.

12. World Bank (2021). Financing Nature-based Solutions for Drylands.

13. Griscom, B.W., et al. (2017). Natural climate solutions. PNAS, 114(44), 11645-11650.

14. Pretty, J., et al. (2018). Global assessment of agricultural system redesign for sustainable intensification. Nature Sustainability.

15. WMO (2020). Water Scarcity and Droughts in Drylands.

16. Díaz, S., et al. (2019). Biodiversity and ecosystem services science for policy. Science.

17. Ecosystem Marketplace (2020). State of the Voluntary Carbon Markets Report.

18. IUCN (2021). Investing in Ecosystem Restoration.

19. FAO (2015). Soil Organic Carbon Management in Drylands.

20. Maestre, F.T., et al. (2016). Restoration of dryland ecosystems: approaches and outcomes. Journal of Applied Ecology.

21. Oweis, T., et al. (2012). Water Harvesting for Improved Rainfed Agriculture.

22. NASA (2021). Remote Sensing Applications for Land Degradation Monitoring.

23. UNDP (2019). Dryland Restoration Pilot Project Results.

24. USAID (2020). Risk Management in Climate Resilient Development.

25. UNEP (2021). Scalable Solutions for Land Restoration.