Land for Life Award

The Land for Life Award was initiated by the UNCCD and its partners in 2011, launched at the UNCCD COP10 in the Republic of Korea as part of the Changwon Initiative. 

The Award recognizes the excellence and innovation of individuals, groups, institutions and businesses whose work and initiatives have made a signicant contribution in achieving Land Degradation Neutrality.

Between 2012 and 2014, eight winners were awarded from around the world. In March 2015, the Land for Life Award was revised. The new Land for Life Award will be awarded to two winners biennially. One of which will be the Land for Life Special Award to honour outstanding actions by individuals/groups in China which will be selected by the Kubuqi International Desert Forum Steering Committee according to the same selection criteria as global Land for Life Award.  

The new Award does not carry a monetary prize. Award winners will however, receive an individually-tailored support package from the UNCCD secretariat to highlight their success stories, which includes: networking with interested organizations, profiling their initiatives nationally and internationally, and opportunities to showcase their award-winning actions at national and international events. 

The winners will also be requested to act as a “spokesperson” for achieving Land Degradation Neutrality at selected high-level policy-making sphere.

Eligibility: Anyone who has made a significant and innovative contribution to sustainable land management. This could include:

• individuals
• institutions
• non-governmental organizations and civil society
• private sector
• academic and research organizations
• policy makers
• journalists and media

There are no restrictions on applications with regard to race, gender, nationality, religious beliefs, political views or geographical location.

Short-listed candidates may be contacted by the organizer for verification of their application.

Selection criteria

​In selecting the winner, the Jury will consider the following:

• Innovation: fresh thinking and practical solutions to the problems of land degradation
• Inspiration: shows leadership and inspires others to change behavior
• Impact: measurable improvements to the land, soils and livelihoods
• Replicability: lessons learned for sustainable land management can be reproduced by others

Applications should demonstrate results in any of the following areas:

Technical implementation

• Outstanding sustainable land management practices
• Enhancement or regeneration of lands leading to improved soil health, fertility and yield
• Reduction or mitigation of land degradation and the negative effects of drought

Policy Measures and Leadership 

• Creative policy measures fostering sustainable land management, soil regeneration, or drought mitigation through soils enhancement
• Policy incentives for the private sector that facilitate improved sustainable land management and/or direct enhancement of soils
• International cooperation for combating desertification, land degradation and drought

Business Practices

• Business practices that regenerate and preserve soil health, fertility, and human livelihood in the drylands
• Business practices which lower energy consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in land and soils related processes
• Business practices which enhance the concentration of soil organic matter and increase soil capacity to act as a carbon sink in the drylands
  

Advocacy, Education and Empowerment

• Community mobilization for sustainable land management
• Advocacy, communication or information initiatives which focus attention on people in the drylands 
• Advocacy, communication or information initiatives which generate heightened awareness about the global benefits of soil regeneration and protection as an opportunity and as an imperative of our time
• Advocacy, communication or information initiatives which promote better understanding about the situation in the drylands, making the public and decision-makers aware that dryland areas are not a global liability but an asset and a potential solution to some of today's most pressing global problems
• Educational activities which increase understanding and knowledge of desertification and land degradation, as well as drought, and heighten knowledge of effective sustainable land management practices

Scientific Finding and Knowledge Sharing

• Scientific research or innovations which contribute to improving the health of soils and land management, and generate biological, environmental, social and economic benefits in the drylands, with possible effects in other parts of the world as well.

Moreinfo: http://www.unccd.int/en/programmes/Event-and-campaigns/LandForLife/Pages/default.aspx