Burkina Faso sees 470,000 hectares of land degradation a year

Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-17 17:17:32|Editor: MJ
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OUAGADOUGOU, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Burkina Faso faces 470,000 hectares of land degradation every year due to a combination of natural and human factors, an official of the Sahelian country has said.

A recent report showed that 5.16 million hectares of land had been degraded during the 2002-2013 period, about 19 percent of Burkina Faso's national territory, Environment Minister Nestor Bassiere said in a statement on Friday, one day before the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought that falls on June 17 every year.

"Burkina Faso is more than ever facing relatively difficult agro-ecological conditions due to climatic deterioration and increasing human pressure," he said.

He attributed land degradation to over-exploitation of natural resources for essential needs, land tenure insecurity, migratory pressures, and unfavorable conditions on the international market.

"Currently, about 50 million environmental refugees are recorded globally and West Africa is, particularly, one of the worst hit regions by migration," Bassiere said.

The minister added that a lot of migrants in the West African region have had to leave their lands and homes because of land degradation, food insecurity and water shortage.

The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought has been observed since 1995 to raise global awareness of the threats of desertification and droughts. Every year it has a different theme. This year's theme is "link between land degradation and migration."

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