Luanda - Angolan Environment minister, Faatima Jardim, discussed Thursday in Luanda with visiting executive secretary of the UN Convention on Combat Against Desertification, Luc Gnacagja, the country's strategy against desertification and poverty reduction.

Addressing the press, after the meeting, the UN official said that his institution will support the Government's actions to combat desertification, stating that Angola is a rich country with many arid regions and therefore all efforts must be done for its preservation.

He added that the UN is considering to create a global association to reverse and prevent desertification and soils degradation to arrest the effects of drought in affected areas, thus reducing poverty and securing environmental sustainability.

According to Mr Gnacadja humankind risks to face prolonged severe droughts, floods and water scarcity, worsening desertification of the planet, if preventive measures are not taken now.

Desertification threatens to degrade 3.6 million hectares in arid regions, or 25 percent of the Earth surface, sheltering one billion  people in 110 countries, mostly poor.   

According to UN data, the Earth surface is losing 12 million hectares per year, where 20 million tonnes of grains could be produced and the areas mostly threatened with degradation are deserts, dry and semi arid lands wih 40 per cent of the world population, 90 percent of them in developing countries, with 44 percent of cultivated areas.