A/70/287 raise livestock. 35 With increased population growth and an expanding middle class, these numbers are expected to at least double by 2050. 36 It is argued that in the absence of climate change the livestock sector could support the increased demand for meat and milk without major price increases in this period. 37 However, with climate change already having a significant impact on the environment, livestock production will require major technological and ecological interventions in order to maintain stability. 44. Projections indicate that most climate-related changes are associated with animal deaths. 38 Experts suggest that creative solutions must be sought to mitigate the impact of climate change on livestock, and vice versa. For example, research from Chile, the Netherlands and New Zealand has revealed that the intensification of grassland and forage use may lead to more efficient, more profitable and more sustainable ecosystems that can meet demands for increased dairy and beef production. 39 Nations with emerging economies must increase awareness of the implications of meat consumption, 40 while developed countries should demonstrate a willingness to modify consumption behaviour and avoid food waste. Impact on the ecosystem, biodiversity and desertification 45. Additional negative consequences of agriculture include loss of biodiversity, soil degradation and depletion of ground and surface water (agriculture consumes 60-70 per cent of freshwater resources globally). Desertification and soil degradation are also major threats to food security. As two thirds of Africa is desert or arid, the continent as a whole is heavily exposed to further desertification. One study predicts that by 2080 as much as one fifth of Africa’s farmland will be severely stressed. 41 46. The link between land degradation and climate change requires attention and focus from the parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification was originally designed “to forge a global partnership to reverse and prevent desertifi cation/land degradation and to mitigate the effects of drought in affected areas in order to support poverty reduction and environmental sustainability”. 42 With some 250 million people and a third of the Earth’s land surface affected by desertification, the parties to the Convention have recently made significant strides towards __________________ 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 12/25 P. Havlik and others, “Livestock in the XXI century: alternative futures”, paper prepared for the Livestock, Climate Change and Food Security Conference, Madrid, 19 -20 May 2014. Ibid. Ibid. P. K. Thornton and others, “The impacts of climate change on livestock and livestock systems in developing countries: a review of what we know and what we need to know”, Agricultural Systems, vol. 101, No. 3 (July 2009). O. Oenema and others, “Intensification of grassland and forage use: driving forces and constraints”, paper prepared for the Livestock, Climate Change and Food Security Conference, Madrid, 19-20 May 2014. Bailey, Froggatt and Wellesley, “Livestock — Climate Change’s Forgotten Sector”. http://foreignpolicy.com/2011/04/25/the-new-geopolitics-of-food/. Report of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification on its eighth session, Part two (ICCD/COP(8)/16/Add.1), decision 3/COP.8, annex, para. 8. 15-10041