Pretoria - South Africa will show its support for initiatives to stop desertification on June 17 when it commemorates World Day to Combat Desertification (WDCD).
The official event will be held in Bathlabine village in Limpopo, which has received financial assistance from the Department of Environmental Affairs to reverse the effects of soil erosion.
WDCD is observed annually, and it aims to place high on the global agenda the issue of drylands.
"The United Nations aims to sensitise the public and policy makers to the increasing dangers of desertification, land degradation and drought for the international community," said the department on Friday.
This year, the focus will be on the forests in the dryland areas of the world, giving credence to the theme, 'Forests keep drylands working. This theme is in line with 2011 having being declared as International Year of the Forests by the United Nations.
Desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD) are a big threat to human security, depriving people of the means to decent livelihoods by undercutting food production, access to water and the means to economic activity.
The department urged everyone to take part in looking after the land. "Healthy soils produce life and yet soil health depends a lot on how individuals use their land. What we do to our soils determines the quality and quantity of the food we eat and how our ecosystems serve us," it said.
WDCD will be celebrated as part of the June Environment Month, focusing on the theme "Save tomorrow, today."
