African leaders attending Monday's United Nations meeting on desertification advocated the need for "large-scale" investments to combat environmental effects and stressed the profitability of such investments in restoring ecosystems.

"Restoration of degraded lands is doable, sometimes at low cost, and investment in the repair of these lands is economically profitable, technically doable, socially desirable and, of course, ecologically beneficial," Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which kicked off this Monday in Abidjan, told Lusa.

Corroborating the idea, the president of Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara, pointed out that, "according to UNCCD studies, every dollar invested in land restoration can generate between $7 and $30.

"Thus, for the private sector, investing in the restoration of ecosystems is a profitable bet," argued the head of state, who had earlier warned that the country could lose all its forest by 2050 if the desertification situation continues.

In the same vein, United Nations Under-Secretary-General Amina Mohammed warned that "large-scale investments" are needed to help the countries that need it most, and African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat said this conference is "an urgent call to governments to invest massively in large-scale ecosystem restoration projects."

With the theme "Earth, Life, Legacy, from scarcity to prosperity," the COP 15 is being held until May 20 to promote sustainable management of the Earth's soil, bringing together heads of state and government, private sector leaders, scientists, and non-governmental organizations from 196 countries, according to Spanish news agency Efe.

Among the themes and negotiations taking place since yesterday in Abidjan are the fight against desertification, land degradation and restoration, drought and resilience, the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, gender equality, and youth involvement, among others.