伊琳娜•博科娃年防治荒漠化世界日致辭
Message from Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the Occasion of the World Day to Combat Desertification
教科文組織總幹事伊琳娜·博科娃“防治荒漠化”世界日致辭
17 June 2016
2016年6月17日
Protect earth, restore land, engage people.
保護地球，恢復土地，動員人民。
These are the themes of the 2016 World Day to Combat Desertification.
這便是2016年“防治荒漠化”世界日的主題。
Desertification is a global phenomenon, affecting resource availability and sustainability, impacting on the livelihoods of 900 million peoples across all continents, representing one third of worldwide threats to biodiversity.
作爲遍及全球的現象，荒漠化制約資源的可用性和可持續性，影響世界範圍內九億人口的生計，佔生物多樣性所面臨的全球威脅的三分之一。
This is a threat to both arid and non-arid regions, where land over-exploitation, including intensive farming, forest exploitation for fuel and timber and overgrazing, have turned fertile soils into sterile land.
它不僅是乾旱地區的威脅，也是非乾旱地區的威脅：包括集約耕作、森林採伐（用以提供燃料和木材）和過度放牧在內的土地開發過度的行爲，已將片片沃土變爲不毛之地。
Extreme weather events – like droughts, winds, floods and climate disruptions – are amplifying the effects and adding new causes to the degradation cycle.
極端天氣事件——如干旱、大風、洪澇及氣候失調——讓情況雪上加霜，並帶來了惡性循環的新誘因。
The stakes are high – this is why the goal of achieving Land Degradation Neutrality is so important. This is set out in Target 15.3 of the new Sustainable Development Goals, to maintain and even improve the amount of healthy and productive land resources.
正因爲事關重大，實現制止土地退化的目標才如此重要。新的可持續發展目標中的這項具體目標15.3，旨在保持進而增加健康、肥沃土地資源的數量。
Reaching this new goal calls for engaging women and men.
實現這一新目標需要公衆的參與。
Guided by this spirit, each from their own perspective, the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme, International Hydrological Programme and Global Action Programme on Education for Sustainable Development, are working to engage people in sustainable land management practices and agro-forestry, in developing green economies, in consuming responsibly, and in restoring ecosystems.
以此精神爲指導，教科文組織人與生物圈計劃、國際水文計劃及全球可持續發展教育行動計劃都從各自的角度，在可持續土地管理實踐和農林業、發展綠色經濟、負責任消費以及恢復生態系統方面努力促進人們的參與。
Desertification is not always irreversible. Land restoration is the ultimate tool, and UNESCO is determined to do everything to restore our ecosystems, as was featured during the World Congress of Biosphere Reserves, held in Lima, in March 2016.
荒漠化並非總是不可逆轉。土地恢復是解決問題的關鍵。正如2016年3月在利馬召開的世界生物圈保護區大會所強調的，教科文組織決心不遺餘力地爲重建我們的生態系統而努力。
Desertification is a global threat that requires global action – this must start with each of us, with our deeper engagement to protecting our planet for all to share.
荒漠化是全球威脅，需要全球行動——這必須從我們每一個人做起，深化承諾，保護全人類共有的地球。
