On June 17, the Grenada Chapter of the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN) joined the global movement to mark the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, centering its local campaign around this year’s global theme: *Rangelands: Recognise. Respect. Restore.*
This annual observance urges communities worldwide to acknowledge the critical ecological and economic value of rangelands, honor the generations of traditional knowledge held by pastoralists and local farming communities that steward these landscapes, and actively reverse degradation through targeted sustainable land management practices.
For the tri-island nation of Grenada, which includes Carriacou and Petite Martinique, pasturelands and grazing areas form the backbone of local livestock and small ruminant agriculture—an economic and cultural pillar of rural communities that underpins national food security. Despite this importance, these vital lands face growing threats from unsustainable land clearing practices, overgrazing, widespread deforestation, accelerating soil erosion, and increasingly prolonged dry spells driven by shifting climate patterns.
“Rangelands may not be the first landscape people associate with our small island nation, but the core message of this year’s theme resonates across every corner of Grenada,” explained Jevaire Baptiste, Secretary of CYEN Grenada Chapter. “When we choose to recognize the value of our land, respect the people who care for it, and commit to restoring what has been damaged, we build a more secure future for all of us.”
To turn this message into tangible action, CYEN Grenada has launched a youth-focused campaign calling on young people across all three islands to engage with the three pillars of the theme in their daily lives:
– **Recognise**: Acknowledge the fundamental role that local pastures, grazing areas, and farmlands play in upholding food security, protecting native biodiversity, and sustaining rural livelihoods.
– **Respect**: Honor the hands-on knowledge and generations of experience held by livestock keepers, crop farmers, and rural communities that manage these lands year-round.
– **Restore**: Implement practical local actions including planting and nurturing native trees in community spaces, avoiding full land clearing for agriculture, development, or grazing that leaves soil exposed, maintaining natural ground cover, native grasses, and selected trees to protect topsoil, reduce erosion, lock in moisture, and preserve soil fertility, backing sustainable farming and grazing systems such as rotational grazing, mulching, contour farming, cover cropping, rainwater harvesting, and agroforestry, practicing water conservation and responsible water use, especially on agricultural lands, protecting interconnected ecosystems including forests, wetlands, watersheds, and coastal habitats that support healthy land systems, cutting down on pollution and ensuring proper disposal of both agricultural and household waste, and participating in local environmental volunteer initiatives and community-led land restoration projects.
As a Small Island Developing State, Grenada is disproportionately vulnerable to the worst impacts of climate change, from prolonged droughts and extreme rainfall to severe flooding, destructive landslides, and accelerating coastal degradation—all of which compound existing pressure on the nation’s grazing lands and pastures. Restoring and sustainably managing these landscapes delivers far-reaching benefits: it strengthens national food security, supports working livestock and crop farmers, creates new entrepreneurship opportunities in sustainable agriculture and agroforestry, boosts overall climate resilience, and protects native biodiversity.
Across every sector—from sustainable farming and conservation to agribusiness and community land stewardship—young people hold unique power to drive meaningful change and build a more resilient, food-secure future for the tri-island nation. On this year’s World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, CYEN Grenada is amplifying a clear call to action for all citizens, and especially young people, to embrace the mission of recognize, respect, restore for the lands that sustain all Grenadians. By protecting the nation’s pasturelands and grazing areas today, the country can safeguard food supplies, livelihoods, and opportunity for generations to come.
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