Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are confronting a convergence of climate pressures that threaten their long-term viability, as new UNCCD findings show SIDS drought and land loss accelerating at a scale unseen in previous decades. An information brief released during CRIC23 in Panama reports that 17 percent of SIDS land now endures at least six months of extreme drought annually, up from just 2 percent six decades ago. Nearly seven in ten people across these islands are now exposed to drought, underscoring rising stress on food production, water supplies and public health ahead of UNCCD COP17 in Mongolia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The brief situates SIDS at the leading edge of global climate vulnerability. With only a narrow resource base and limited arable land, the loss of even small areas of productive soil carries outsized consequences for food systems, energy access and infectious disease exposure. Although SIDS account for just 1 percent of the world\u2019s population, they host over 20 percent of global biodiversity, linking their land degradation to wider consequences for coastal protection, pollination, water cycling and ecosystem resilience. As drought intensifies and climate extremes multiply, institutions across SIDS face mounting pressure to adapt governance structures, safeguard natural systems and address disruption that disproportionately affects women and girls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The UNCCD brief highlights rapid change across SIDS. Extreme drought exposure has increased eightfold since the 1960s, driven by climate change, urbanization, unsustainable agriculture and extractive industries. Food security is undermined by low soil fertility, high input costs, and exposure to droughts, cyclones and salinization. Most SIDS cannot meet domestic food demand, and the triple burden of malnutrition\u2014undernourishment, micronutrient deficiency and obesity\u2014complicates national responses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many of the region\u2019s land management challenges trace back to colonial-era systems. In the Caribbean, tenure insecurity linked to historic plantation and forestry industries discourages investment in sustainable land use. In the Pacific, communities retaining ancestral territory rights now face accelerated urban expansion consuming scarce arable land. Water scarcity has intensified as well, with five SIDS falling below 1,000 m\u00b3 per person per year and three facing absolute scarcity under 500 m\u00b3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Development finance remains limited. Between 2016 and 2023, only USD 487 million was directed to SIDS for desertification, land degradation and drought, and 65 percent of that funding went to just five countries: Papua New Guinea, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Solomon Islands and Fiji. Technical capacity constraints also hinder progress, as many local institutions lack access to high-resolution land data and staff needed to implement nature-based solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n