UNITED NATIONS   -    As nearly 40 per cent of land across the planet is degraded with more acres lost every second, governments, businesses and communities must galvanize action to reverse the damage and protect Earth, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in connection with World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. Every second, around four football fields of healthy land, are degraded, he said in a strong message for the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, marked annually on 17 June. “The security, prosperity and health of billions of people rely on thriving lands supporting lives, livelihoods and ecosystems, but we are vandalising the Earth that sustains us”, he added. He said that desertification, land degradation and drought are currently among the most pressing environmental challenges This year’s theme of Desertification and Drought Day, “United for Land. Our Legacy. Our Future,”  spotlighting the future of land stewardship, which is the planet’s most precious resource to ensure the stability and prosperity of billions of people around the world, the emphasised.