United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
? Climate change is now seen as having a profound impact on ecosystems and societies,
challenging some basis assumptions concerning the reliability of the production and
consumption patterns of our emerging global civilisation. As world leaders take note
and the scientists scramble to advocate measures to mitigate and to adapt to climate
change, the present findings vindicate some aspects of the debate launched under this
Convention a decade ago.
? 1.8 billion people live in drylands (semi-arid and dry sub humid climates), and large
scale growing environmental scarcity in these endangered ecosystems can have wide
ranging geo political consequences.
? Yet these areas also offer opportunities: space is drylands? great luxury. The vast
expands of drylands, where most rural poverty occurs, present also untapped
opportunities for carbon sequestration in soils and revegetation.
? At the same time, as local populations have no choice but to scratch a living from
increasingly scarce natural resources, the challenge there is also to meet their
requirements for sustainable livelihoods while combating desertification in a
manner that is adaptive to climate change. Such key areas as science and education,
agriculture, forestry, range management, energy and water supply, represent
platforms for synergistic effort to meet this challenge.
? From the perspective of this Convention, it has been recognized that desertification is
caused by climate change as well as by human factors. What needs more research
though is how desertification impacts on climate change?
? As ample evidence suggests, climate and desertification interact at a variety of scales
through a complex series of feedback loops. Indeed, the inclusion of the emissions
from deforestation, a form of land degradation, in the climate change equations, is a
manifestation of this.
? The existence of linkages between climate change and desertification processes
suggests that mitigation and adaptation strategies should be designed and
coordinated to address aspects of both climate change and desertification through
local areas participatory and synergistic programmes.
? Adaptation to climate change, for most of developing countries, involves the
protection of land against further degradation which in turn strengthens the
resilience of ecosystems.
? We can address climate change through an effective implementation of the UNCCD
in a way that ensures land cover through forestry/agro-forestry activities and water
and soil conservation. In this regard, adaptation and mitigation activities, in many
instances, must include investing in combating land degradation and mitigating the
effects of drought.
? Hence, the GEF should take a much clearer cut policy in promoting a synergetic
implementation of action programmes to combat desertification and national
adaptation programmes to climate change.
challenging some basis assumptions concerning the reliability of the production and
consumption patterns of our emerging global civilisation. As world leaders take note
and the scientists scramble to advocate measures to mitigate and to adapt to climate
change, the present findings vindicate some aspects of the debate launched under this
Convention a decade ago.
? 1.8 billion people live in drylands (semi-arid and dry sub humid climates), and large
scale growing environmental scarcity in these endangered ecosystems can have wide
ranging geo political consequences.
? Yet these areas also offer opportunities: space is drylands? great luxury. The vast
expands of drylands, where most rural poverty occurs, present also untapped
opportunities for carbon sequestration in soils and revegetation.
? At the same time, as local populations have no choice but to scratch a living from
increasingly scarce natural resources, the challenge there is also to meet their
requirements for sustainable livelihoods while combating desertification in a
manner that is adaptive to climate change. Such key areas as science and education,
agriculture, forestry, range management, energy and water supply, represent
platforms for synergistic effort to meet this challenge.
? From the perspective of this Convention, it has been recognized that desertification is
caused by climate change as well as by human factors. What needs more research
though is how desertification impacts on climate change?
? As ample evidence suggests, climate and desertification interact at a variety of scales
through a complex series of feedback loops. Indeed, the inclusion of the emissions
from deforestation, a form of land degradation, in the climate change equations, is a
manifestation of this.
? The existence of linkages between climate change and desertification processes
suggests that mitigation and adaptation strategies should be designed and
coordinated to address aspects of both climate change and desertification through
local areas participatory and synergistic programmes.
? Adaptation to climate change, for most of developing countries, involves the
protection of land against further degradation which in turn strengthens the
resilience of ecosystems.
? We can address climate change through an effective implementation of the UNCCD
in a way that ensures land cover through forestry/agro-forestry activities and water
and soil conservation. In this regard, adaptation and mitigation activities, in many
instances, must include investing in combating land degradation and mitigating the
effects of drought.
? Hence, the GEF should take a much clearer cut policy in promoting a synergetic
implementation of action programmes to combat desertification and national
adaptation programmes to climate change.