ADB, Partners Launch Initiative To Scale Financing for Land Degradation, Desertification in Asia and Pacific
Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) | August 25, 2026
(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 25th Aug, 2026)
ULAN BAATAR, MONGOLIA, 24th August, 2026 (WAM): The Asian Development Bank (ADB) today launched, together with partners, the Financing Investments and Eradicating Land Degradation and Desertification (FIELD) Initiative. This regional partnership aims to attract at least $2 billion by 2035 for investments in programs that restore lands and enhance drought resilience across Asia and the Pacific.
"Land degradation and desertification pose a critical threat to ecosystems that sustain millions of rural communities and underpin economic growth in our region—a challenge no single country can tackle alone," stated ADB Vice-President for East and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific, Scott Morris. "By collaborating with partners and scaling innovative investments in healthy and productive landscapes, ADB will lead efforts to conserve biodiversity, improve livelihoods, and ensure food and water security for all."
FIELD was unveiled during a ministerial dialogue at the 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. It will assist countries in designing, accessing finance, and implementing land restoration projects, incorporating innovative finance approaches like derisking structures, blended finance, and capital market instruments to stimulate private capital.
An initial pipeline of projects focusing on land and forest restoration, river-basin, and water management has been identified.
Worsening drought, soil erosion, and unsustainable land use are degrading dryland ecosystems that support over 40% of the region’s population, compromising agricultural production, biodiversity, and resilience. The financing gap for sustainable ecosystem management and restoration is widening, particularly for rangelands covering 54% of the world’s land surface and storing up to 30% of global soil carbon.
The initiative aims to bring 1 million hectares of land under sustainable management by 2035 to mitigate degradation and bolster food and water security. It will also provide grants and technical assistance to help ADB's developing member countries develop sustainable capacity development policies and establish a knowledge platform.
FIELD is a dedicated land restoration and drought resilience window under the Nature Solutions Finance Hub, an ADB-led platform aimed at scaling nature-positive investment in Asia and the Pacific, in collaboration with financial and technical partners. The initiative aligns with ADB's Environment Action Plan and $40 billion commitment by 2030 to transform food systems across the region.