Land Resources

The Comoros has created a National Commission for Sustainable Development as well as regional commissions based on each of the three main islands. The Comoros is currently drawing up of a program for combating land degradation through the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture, as well as plans for the development of agro-forestry for improved management of soil fertility to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers.

The agricultural sector accounts for 40% of the Comoros’ GDP and employs a large percentage of the workforce. This is a source of vulnerability for the economy, as fragile soils vulnerable to erosion and tectonic instability coupled with zones of subsistence farming create a difficult climate for economic growth. High unemployment and high poverty rates persist, while comparatively high population growth, bad use of soils, inadequate institutional capacities and poor economic diversification add to this vulnerability. Traditional housing is made of cob or straw, which is not resistant to inclement weather, and is concentrated mainly in the coastal region. High population growth increases the need for land and drives deforestation to accommodate the population’s need for land suitable for housing, agriculture and construction. This leads to uncontrolled deforestation, loss of habitat and decreased fertility for some species, soil erosion, and drying rivers and water sources. These processes also take place in regions that would otherwise be good candidates to house future expansion of the tourism industry, which thereby erodes the future potential for success of this sector. Unemployment and poverty exacerbate this environmental degradation and natural resource exploitation. Implementation of a small UNDP grant project on land conservation is also underway in the Comoros.

Thematic Reference: 
Thematic Data Source: 
Comoros. National Action Programme of Adaptation to Climate Change (NAPA)
Rapport sur le suivi et l’application de la strategies de Maurice MSI+5
08 May 2013 | SIDS Policy and Practice
6 May 2013: The UNFCCC Secretariat has released a miscellaneous document containing the views of eight parties and one NGO on land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) issues referred to in Decision 2/CMP.7, paragraphs 5-7 (FCCC/SBSTA/2013/MISC.8).  Parties that presented submissions are: Chad, for Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda, and São Tomé e Príncipe; Indonesia; Japan; New Zealand;...
24 Apr 2013 | SIDS Policy and Practice
12 April 2013: In a keynote address by Tarja Halonen, former President of Finland and Chair of the High-level Panel on Global Sustainability, participants at the third Special Session of the Committee on Science and Technology (CST S-3) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference were reminded that sustainable land management (SLM) can be one of the most important tools for poverty eradication, and they were challenged to send a strong message...
24 Apr 2013 | SIDS Policy and Practice
21 April 2013: The eleventh session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 11) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) developed a report that contains a synopsis of parties’ views and recommendations noted on the floor in plenary, and a background document summarizing deliberations and recommendations submitted to the CRIC for consideration at its next session. CRIC 11 took place in Bonn, Germany, from 15-19 April 2013. The meeting...