Aug 23, 2006

U.N. Conference on Desertification

The U.N. Conference to Combat Desertification, first met in 1994. This year, 2006, was named as "Year of Desertification."

It was concerned with "the reduction or the disappearance of the productivity and biological or economic complexity of cultivated lands, both irrigated and non-, grasslands, pastures, forests or wooded surfaces,caused by the systems which exploit the land, or from one or more processes, including those which derive from the activity of man and from his way of settling the land, among which are water erosion, wind erosion, etc; the deterioration of the physical,chemical, biological or economic properties of the land: the long term loss of natural vegetation" (UNCCD, Art. 1.f).

Interestingly enough,the U.S. is at the head of the list of the desertification process, with 74% of the arable land being affected, in one degree or another by desertification.

Of course, desertification has become a serious problem in Africa, Latin America, The Caribbean and Asia, but Australia, and southern and eastern Europe are also feeling the effects. Hardest hit in Europe are Italy, Greece, Portugal and Spain.

There are a large number of groups working on real (not studies) programs designed to combat desertification. The largest, and best funded is the U.N. Drylands Development Centre, located in Nairobi, Kenya.

This group is working in 166 countries, including most of Central and South America, Central Asia and Africa. Countries such as Ethiopia, Niger, Uganda, Morocco and Yemen are some of the hardest hit by the desertification process.

Related Suite 101 articles include Year of Desertification and The World's Water Supply at Risk

Other related articles include a very perceptive piece by Guido Bissanti.

Also, if you're interested, descriptions of the individual projects can be found at The U.N. Drylands Development Centre site