Although much is known about the processes and effects of desertification, land degradation and climate change, little is understood about the links between them. Less still is known about how these processes are likely to interact in different social-ecological systems around the world, or how societies might be able to adapt to this twin challenge. This book identifies key vulnerabilities to the combined effects of climate change and land degradation around the world. It identifies triple-win adaptations that can tackle both climate change and land degradation, whilst supporting biodiversity and ecosystem services. Desertification, Land Degradation and Climate Change : Assessment, Mitigation and Remediation research results in sustainable land management, land degradation status and mitigation in the world. It includes background chapters with continental and international perspectives dealing with desertification, land degradation and climate change studies. The book assembles various topics of interest for a large audience. They include carbon sequestration and stocks, modern techniques to trace the trends of land degradation, traditional and modern approaches of resource-base conservation, soil fertility management, reforestation, rangeland rehabilitation, land use planning, GIS techniques in desertification risk cartography, participatory ecosystem management, policy analyses and possible plans for action. Various climatic domains in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas are covered. The book will be of interest to a variety of environmental scientists, agronomists, national and international policy makers and a number of organizations dealing with sustainable management of natural resources.

Based on an International Workshop held in Arusha, Tanzania, this book presents state-of-the-art papers, real world applications, and innovative techniques for combating land degradation. It offers recommendations for effectively using weather and climate information for sustainable land management practices.

Drylands have been cradles to some of the world’s greatest civilizations, and contemporary dryland communities feature rich and unique cultures. Dryland ecosystems support a surprising amount of biodiversity. Desertification, however, is a significant land degradation problem in the arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions of the world. Deterioration of soil and plant cover has adversely affected 70% of the world’s drylands as a result of extended droughts as well as mismanagement of range and cultivated lands. The situation is likely to worsen with high population growth rates and accompanying land-use conflicts. The contributions to The Future of Drylands – an international scientific conference held under the leadership of UNESCO – address these issues and offer practical solutions for combating desertification along with conserving and sustainably managing dryland ecosystems. Major themes include the conservation of dryland biological and cultural diversity and the human dryland interface. This volume documents how our improved understanding of drylands provides insight into the health and future prospects of these precious ecosystems that should help ensure that dryland communities enjoy a sustainable future.

It now seems incontrovertible (as Alessandra Giannini has demonstrated) that the series of Sahelian droughts that began in the early 1970s were driven by changes in sea surface temperatures and that they were not caused by local land use mismanagement in the Sahel itself. Combined with the apparent re-greening of the Sahel, these findings effectively close a long-standing policy and scientific debate (in which the lead authors of this book participated) on the causes and extent of desertification in the Sahel. The opportunity now presents itself to treat this debate as a historical object lesson in the relationship between science, the formation of public opinion, and international policy-making in the context of climate change. In short, what might the ‘great Sahelian desertification boondoggle’ have to tell us about current attempts to come to grips with climate change?

Although much is known about the processes and effects of land degradation and climate change, little is understood about the links between them. Less still is known about how these processes are likely to interact in different social-ecological systems around the world, or how societies might be able to adapt to this twin challenge. This book identifies key vulnerabilities to the combined effects of climate change and land degradation around the world. It identifies triple-win adaptations that can tackle both climate change and land degradation, whilst supporting biodiversity and ecosystem services. The book discusses methods for monitoring effects of climate change and land degradation, and adaptations to these processes. It argues for better co-operation and knowledge exchange, so that the research, land user and policy communities can work together more effectively to tackle these challenges, harnessing the "wisdom of crowds" to assess vulnerability and adapt to climate change and land degradation, whilst protecting livelihoods and biodiversity.

A growing body of research and scientific as well as local evidence has shown that climate change impacts is on the rise with its attendant risks/hazards for the land system, even as it relates to DLDD, these being exacerbated by anthropogenic factors; thus, pushing the earth system to a tipping point therefore requiring that society braze up its coping capacities to avert the impending danger. This book highlights the urgent need to move from desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD) risk management to resilience. The aim is to provide new insight on the issues of DLDD and stir policy guide on vulnerability reduction and building adaptive capacities so as to achieve sustainable development and identify pathways to a land degradation neutral world. It is worthy to note that globally, about one fifth of earth’s land area – more than 2 billion hectares – is degraded; and this jeopardizes the livelihoods of more than 3.5 billion people, i.e., about 40% of the world population. The global population is still growing and is projected to reach 8.3 billion people by 2030. Such growth will put unprecedented pressure on the productivity of the land system from day to day.

This edited volume is devoted to the examination of the implications of the inevitable changes wrought by global change on the welfare and livelihoods of tens of millions of people who live in dryland regions. Global change is more than just climate change and the ramifications of changing trade patterns (geopolitical and economic aspects), the shift to the market economy, demographic factors (population growth, urbanization and re-settlement), receive attention here. Land use change specialists, policy makers and natural resource management agencies will find the book very useful. Chapters focus on examples that are drawn from a number of sources including previously unpublished studies on the impact of climate change, markets and economics on pastoralist and dryland farming households. The key focus is to provide readers with insights into the real world implications of change (including an analysis of the drivers of change) on these vulnerable groups within dryland societies. The role of humans as agents of these changes is canvassed. A regional analysis of the world's drylands is also performed including those in Australia, Argentina, India, North America, China, North Africa, Central Asia and Southern Africa.

This book is about the ‘how’ of desertification control as opposed to an analysis of the ‘why’ and fills a gap in the desertification-related literature in that it shows what to do in situations ranging from fixing mobile sands to arresting accelerated soil erosion in sloping lands. There are numerous illustrations to show the successful techniques. This compilation demonstrates that desertification and land degradation can be controlled and reversed with existing techniques in such widely varying environments as the Sahel of Africa to Sri Lanka and the Philippines in SE Asia, from mountains in Lesotho to low lands on desert margins in Mongolia. Proven approaches include technical interventions, changes in governance and to the legislative framework and policy reform. The book fills a gap in the desertification-related literature in that it shows what to do in situations ranging from fixing mobile sands to arresting accelerated soil erosion in sloping lands.

Desertification and land degradation are complex phenomena, and we need to understand their causes, consequences, and means to mitigate and combat their impact. Therefore, this book aims to explain the concept and characteristics of drylands, desert and desertification, land degradation, wastelands, and the concept of ecosystem services. It also discusses various types of processes of land degradations, their characteristics, physics and indicators along with mapping, monitoring and assessment of methods involved. Concept of Ocean Biological Deserts is discussed along with international and regional efforts towards combating land degradation and desertification. Key Features: • Provides all the aspect of desertification and land degradation at one place • Includes comprehensive methods to monitor different desertification/land degradation processes • Comprehensive overview of the mapping, monitoring and modelling techniques • Role of space borne data in identifying, monitoring and combating desertification is evaluated and reported with real case studies • Explains the concept of ocean biological deserts, their characteristics and mapping