By Nebraska Today
Photo Credit: Craig Chandler | University Communication and Marketing
Drought is one of nature’s costliest disasters — across the globe, more frequent and prolonged droughts are up nearly by a third since 2000. No country or region is immune to their impacts, which cost the global economy billions of dollars each year and range from the loss of life, livelihoods and biodiversity to water and food insecurity, disruption in the energy, transportation and tourism sectors, as well as forced migration, displacement and conflicts over scarce resources.
As drought resilience and preparedness are taking center stage in the global efforts to bolster economies and communities against natural disasters, a new collaboration between the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is particularly timely.
Through a cooperation agreement signed Jan. 26 by Ibrahim Thiaw, UNCCD’s executive secretary; Michael Boehm, vice chancellor of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources; and DWFI Faculty Fellow Mark Svoboda, director of the Drought Center and associate professor; the Nebraska-based center is tasked with recommending approaches to integrated drought risk management focused on drought-smart, land-based solutions.
The Drought Center, whose mission is to reduce the effects of drought on people, the environment and the economy by researching the science of drought monitoring and the practice of drought planning, is a strong collaborative partner of DWFI and includes several DWFI Faculty Fellows.