This commemoration was established by the United Nations General Assembly, to raise awareness about the reduction or loss of biological productivity, especially in dry areas.

Colombia, Within its great geographical diversity it has the department of La Guajira, a territory in which the lowest levels of precipitation occur, deficient water availability in the agricultural soil layer and continued drought.

Therefore, Corpoguajira and the National Forestry Research and Development Corporation – CONIF- take actions to prevent, mitigate and recover the effects of desertification and drought on the peninsula, Among them, the environmental zoning studies for the municipalities of Manaure and Maicao stand out., the conservation program for four species and the Regional Plan to Fight Desertification and Drought, for a period of 15 years old, adopted by the Board of Directors of the entity, through the agreement 007 the 9 April 2012.

"Go ahead major action against land degradation, desertification and mitigating the effects of drought; as well as the sustainable management of ecosystems in drylands, from the implementation of practical measures, for the prevention, retain and reverse these degradative processes and contribute to sustainable development in the affected areas ", Pinto Jaime Bermudez stated, Director –It- of Corpoguajira.
The projects, goals and actions of the Regional Plan, They will become a tool of the Corporation and institutions of the national order, departmental and municipal, for decision-making purposes of administration and management, in pursuit of conservation, protection, recovery and restoration of these dry areas of the department.

Desertification is the degradation of drylands, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas; mainly caused by climatic variations and human activities, such as cultivation and overgrazing, deforestation and poor irrigation. This phenomenon does not refer to the expansion of existing deserts, occurs because dryland ecosystems, covering one third of the total land, are extremely vulnerable to overexploitation and inappropriate land use.