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The objective of the COP15 which opens this Monday, May 9 in the Ivorian capital is to find ways to fight once morest the advance of the desert, deforestation, the depletion of arable land or soil pollution. The conference starts with a summit of heads of state directly involved in the phenomenon.
Less well known than its big sister on the climate, this 15th Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), addresses issues that are just as crucial. It takes place at a time when, according to the UN, 41% of land is degraded in the world. And the pace is increasing: each year, 12 million hectares of land are lost, an area equivalent to that of Benin or Belgium.
