Key messages (and videos) from F.A.O. regarding drylands and desertification - fao.org Key messages Drylands cover 6.1 billion hectares, making up 41 % of the Earth’s land surface, and characterized by water scarcity. They cover more than 100 countries across regions and are the basis for livelihoods of more than 2 billion people. Trees and forests in drylands generate a wealth of environmental services, they provide habitats for biodiversity, protect again water and wind erosion and desertification, help water infiltrate soils and contribute to soil fertility. They help increase the resilience of landscapes and communities in the face of climate change Drylands contain 1.11 billion hectares of forests (18% of the global drylands area and 27% of the global forest area), 1.8 billion of grasslands (31% of the global dryland area), 0.86 billion hectares of cropland (14% of the global dryland area). Trees are present on 1.9 billion ha of the world’s drylands. An estimated 13.5 billion trees grow outside forests in the global drylands. Most of these are in grasslands (6.5 billion trees; 50%) and croplands (5.2 billion trees; 39 %) and 1 billion trees are on land classified as settlements. Land degradation in drylands Practical Solutions Categories Drought Key messages (and videos) from F.A.O. regarding drylands and desertification - … Copied to clipboard