World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought: Water Security Is Becoming One of the Key Challenges for the Danube Region

On 17 June, the world marks the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. In 2026, its international theme — “Rangelands: Recognize. Respect. Restore.” — focuses attention on the importance of natural landscapes, sustainable land use, and the restoration of degraded territories.

For Ukraine, this issue has not only an environmental dimension, but also a security, agricultural, and regional one. Droughts, soil degradation, shrinking water resources, and increasing climate risks are already affecting the southern regions of the country, particularly Odesa Oblast, Budjak, and the Ukrainian Danube region.

Desertification is not limited to classical desert areas. In the modern understanding, it refers to the loss of land productivity, deterioration of the water balance, soil depletion, declining biodiversity, and the growing vulnerability of communities to climate variability.

The steppe and coastal territories of southern Ukraine are especially sensitive to these processes. Several risk factors converge here: rainfall deficit, high temperatures, dependence of agriculture on irrigation, degradation of land reclamation infrastructure, pressure on water resources, and the consequences of the war.

In this context, the Danube region is gaining particular importance. The Danube is not only a transport artery and logistics corridor, but also an important element of water, food, and environmental security. The condition of river ecosystems, floodplains, lakes, canals, and irrigation systems directly affects the resilience of communities, agricultural production, and the long-term development of southern Ukraine.

Comment by the Institute of Danube Research

The Institute of Danube Research notes that the problem of drought and land degradation for Ukraine has long gone beyond a purely environmental agenda.

“For southern Ukraine, desertification and drought are not abstract global concepts, but a practical challenge for communities, farmers, water management infrastructure, and the regional economy. Under wartime conditions, these risks are further intensified, as infrastructure destruction, limited investment, and changing logistics routes complicate systematic water resource management,” the Institute stated.

According to IDR experts, the Ukrainian Danube region should be considered one of the key areas for shaping a new policy of water and climate resilience.

“The Danube region needs not fragmented decisions, but a comprehensive approach: restoring irrigation infrastructure, protecting wetlands, modernizing water resource management, supporting sustainable agriculture, and integrating Ukrainian projects into European climate adaptation programmes,” the Institute of Danube Research emphasized.

The IDR pays particular attention to the need to restore natural floodplains and wetland ecosystems, which function as natural regulators of the water regime. Such territories can accumulate water during floods, reduce the impact of droughts, support biodiversity, and stabilize the local climate.

At the same time, the Institute believes that combating drought should be included in the broader agenda of Ukraine’s recovery.

“The reconstruction of southern Ukraine cannot be reduced only to roads, ports, or energy infrastructure. Without water security, neither agricultural production, nor the normal functioning of communities, nor the long-term economic resilience of the region is possible. Therefore, irrigation, water resource management, and adaptation to climate change must become part of the state recovery policy,” the IDR stressed.

The Institute of Danube Research believes that Ukraine should make more active use of the potential of international environmental and climate initiatives, including cooperation with the European Union, the EU Strategy for the Danube Region, and relevant UN conventions.

The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is a reminder that water security, land condition, and climate adaptation are no longer issues of the distant future. For southern Ukraine, Odesa Oblast, and the Danube region, they are among the decisive factors of survival, development, and integration into the European space.