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Both ENDS Information Package Nr. 1
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| Both ENDS is a Non-Governmental
Organisation (NGO) that among other activities provides services to CSOs
(Civil Society Organisations) in Africa, Latin America, Asia and Eastern
Europe. Both ENDS works on issues relating to the environment,
development and social justice. As one of its services, Both ENDS
provides access to information that is of interest to CSOs.
Through contact and collaboration with hundreds of organisations worldwide, Both ENDS receives an abundance of useful information and documents on specific issues. To provide access to, and proliferate vital parts of this knowledge Both ENDS decided to compile information packages on some of these issues. These information packages have been written mainly for Southern CSOs. They contain brief introductions to the subject and give an insight into the activities, points of view and the ideas prevalent among CSOs and institutions that have developed specific expertise on the subject. Most of these organisations will be able to provide more specific information. In addition, the information packages include suggestions for further reading and, for those who have access to internet, some addresses of relevant Websites are included. The packages will be updated from time to time to include newly available information. As these packages provide a compilation of part of the information available, CSOs can always contact Both ENDS for additional information or contact one of the other organisations mentioned in this document. If you have any suggestions or comments related to this information package, please get in touch with us. Both ENDS Environmental and Development Service for NGOs Nieuwe Keizersgracht 45 1018 VC Amsterdam The Netherlands Phone: +31-20-623.08.23 Fax: +31-20-620.80.49 E-mail: info@bothends.org Website: http://www.bothends.org This publication/information package has been made possible with financial support of the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment (VROM). The information packages can be obtained free of charge by Southern CSOs.
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| CONTENT
· Introduction
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Many CSOs are involved in the management of natural
resources, which often includes the combating of soil erosion,
reforestation and biodiversity conservation, sustainable agriculture
(and food security) and water management (ground and surface). These
activities are at first sight not associated with the concept of
desertification or with combating desertification. However, everything
involving the sustainable management of natural resources in drylands or
in sub-humid climates falls under this heading; thus desertification is
connected to gender, indigenous peoples, nomadic livelihoods and other
examples. Desertification is often
regarded as an issue separate from human intervention and development,
especially in Africa. However, the process of land degradation known as
desertification is intrinsically related to both the forces of nature
and the human face of development. At UNCED in 1992, it was
decided that – given the extent and severity of the problem –
desertification warranted an increased and special attention. In May
1993, negotiations for a Convention to Combat Desertification began,
resulting in its adoption in June 1994. Three months after the 50th
ratification, the Convention entered into force in December 1996. The
first Conference of Parties was held in Rome, in October 1997. This Convention to Combat
Desertification is unique in the sense that a true effort has been made
to provide an international framework to combat desertification in an
integrated way with as much participation of local communities as
possible.
The phenomenon of
desertification can be described as land degradation in (semi-) arid and
dry sub-humid areas, resulting from various factors, including climatic
variations and human activities. Desertification not only refers to
decreasing rainfall or a change in rainfall patterns but it also relates
to the degradation of land as a result of drainage, salinitation and
change of vegetation. Through changes in the physical and chemical composition
of soil, the loss of natural vegetation and erosion by wind and water,
land loses fertility and desert-like areas appear. These desert-like
areas are very different from natural deserts, which are ecosystems with
unique features.
Desertification is a problem
in all continents. All land is vulnerable to degradation. If land
degradation occurs in dry areas, it is called desertification. About 41%
of the total land surface of the world is dryland. Human activities are
minimal in real or naturally occurring deserts and therefore deserts
are not considered as risk areas. The most at risk area in the world is
the Sahel, where 50% of the population is directly affected by land
degradation. The impact of land
degradation is most severe where people are especially dependent on
natural resources and are marginalised within the world economy.
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As a consequence of a structural adjustment programme to pay external debt, Senegal is cultivating peanuts for export. Over time the yields decrease, as the intensive monoculture exhausts the soil. A new tract of rainforest is logged to cultivate peanuts. The abandoned field is used to let the cattle graze. Erosion by wind, and rainwater no longer absorbed by the soil, leads to desertification.
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The most well known causes of desertification are overgrazing, population pressures, logging and bushfires. However, the pressure on countries to integrate into the world market has led to development programmes in which monocultures of cash crops are stimulated. These monocultures are very vulnerable to disease and plagues and require a lot of fertilisers and pesticides. The best land is used for these cash crops, leaving marginal land for subsistence farming and pasture. The reduction of the quality and availability of land leads to an extra pressure on remaining resources.
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Agriculture,
Water, Conflicts, Migration Irrigated agriculture uses 75% of the world’s
freshwater. As a result of evaporation and leakages 60% of this water is
wasted. A quarter of all irrigated land is already salinated. In
Pakistan almost half of the agricultural land is subject to
salination. Most irrigation technology is developed and exported
by industrialised countries, often at the expense of sustainable local
systems. Accordingly, as land becomes less productive and conflicts build up, migration will increase. It is estimated that 10 million people are migrating to other countries for environmental reasons. But also within countries migration in the search for land and water can lead to conflicts.
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At the same time, low prices
on the world market for raw materials and the high prices demanded for
manufactured goods creates a situation of even more frenzied production
to pay for imports. In this situation resources rapidly degrade. As land and water continue
to become scarce, conflicts within and between communities continue to
increase. These conflicts themselves lead to further degradation. For people, land degradation
means a very low productivity or even harvest failure. The biomass of
pasture decreases, with less food for cattle and less income and food
for people. Land degradation also undermines social structures. The
division of labour between men and women changes and, in general, the
working load for women increases. As traditional knowledge becomes
inadequate to sustain a livelihood, the dependency on external means and
knowledge increases. Distances to gather fuel and water become longer,
at the expense of other activities, for example the cooking of food.
Loss of vegetation leads to water and wind erosion and air pollution.
Quality of water diminishes through pollution and sedimentation. These
are all factors that directly or indirectly threaten health. Culture is affected as well. Monuments are crumbling, and so are social structures. Traditional fishing communities of the past, for example around the Aral Sea, had to adapt themselves very quickly to agriculture. This process went with the loss of culture (such as rituals pertaining to water) and social structures. |
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The intensive, irrigated cultivation of cotton since
the sixties around the Aral Sea has caused the drying up of the lake to
one third of the surface compared with thirty years ago. The wind blows
the highly salinated soil into the air and water. The water is polluted
by pesticides. The poisonous wind and rain affect the health of 70-90%
of the people. Infant mortality is as high as 1 in 8 and the amount of
disabled children is considerable.
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Not only locally, but also
at the global level, the effects of land degradation are enormous.
Productive capacity is decreasing at a rate of 10 billion hectares a
year, and at the same time the world population is growing at a rate of
1.67% a year. This severely threatens world food security. The loss of biodiversity in
drylands is extremely severe. Most of the staple foods like wheat,
barley, millet, pulses, and cotton stem from drylands, as well as many
animals used by people like horses, cows, sheep, goats, camels and
lamas. As there are not so many species and genes adapted to dry climates,
every loss of genetic material in drylands has an enormous impact.
Drylands hang in a precarious ecological balance, which is partly caused
by periods of water scarcity. The disturbance of this balance can
severely affect the people who depend on these fragile ecosystems.
COSTS OF
COMBATING DESERTIFICATION In 1991, the United Nations
estimated that the on-site or immediate costs of preventive, corrective
and rehabilitative measures to combat desertification totalled something
between 10 and 22.4 billion US$ a year. This is almost half of the loss
in world income as a result of the damage caused by land degradation
(US$ 42.3 billion a year). If off-site and social costs are included,
the figure is 2 to 10 times higher. In 1980, it was estimated that the costs of failure to combat desertification would be US$ 520 billion over the following twenty years. In 1990, a similar estimation gave a figure of US$ 850 billion (at 1990 prices). This table shows that it is not only important to undertake action to combat desertification, but also to undertake the right action.
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European
Agricultural Policy and Desertification
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CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION As a follow-up to the UN
Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in 1992, a
Convention to Combat Desertification and to mitigate the effects of
Drought (INCD in the negotiation phase, now CCD) was started in May 1993
in Nairobi. There have since been five sessions of negotiations. The
last session in June 1994 in Paris resulted in the adoption of the
Convention and in October 1994 a signing ceremony took place in Paris.
At least fifty countries needed to ratify before the Convention could
enter into force. In the interim period
several sessions were held to prepare the implementation of the
Convention. Priority was given to Africa and an Urgent Action for Africa
has been undertaken. There are regional annexes for Asia, Latin America
and Northern Mediterranean as well, providing the outline of actions
required in relation to the specific situation in these regions. By the time that the first
Conference of Parties (COP-1) took place in Rome, October 1997, more
than one hundred countries had ratified the Convention. At this moment
(2003), the number of ratifications has more or less stabilized at 186
countries. The Convention to Combat
Desertification is the first international legally binding agreement
that is based on the participation of local communities. Therefore its
success depends heavily on the active involvement of Non-Governmental
Organisations and Community Based Organisations. This Convention can be
used as an effective tool to combat desertification by local
communities, through their participation in National Action Programmes
(NAPs). According to this Convention, these programmes have to be
developed through close co-operation between governments and local
communities and their organisations. Important features of this
Convention are: ·
Participation of local
communities in the planning, implementation and review of NAPs; ·
Co-operation between all
levels of government and local communities and NGOs; ·
Co-operation and
co-ordination at the sub-regional, regional and global level; ·
Recognition that
desertification is caused by complex interactions between physical,
biological, political, social, cultural and economic factors, and thus
requires an integrated approach. Despite
this epochmaking bottom-up approach, ideas and consensus about the
extent and quality of participation of local communities had to be
developed. Donor countries did not provide new or additional financial
resources, which might have frustrated especially the participation
process. However, with the recent decision of the opening of a new
window in the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), new funding
opportunities will arise. At the country level, at times there is a lack
of political will or the legal regulations are not favourable. It is
obvious that these might be serious constraints in a successful
implementation of the CCD. The conferences have at least assured that
desertification is internationally recognised as a problem with global
dimensions. Therefore a co-ordinated worldwide effort to combat
desertification might be expected. The involvement of CSOs around the
world is needed to ensure that this recognition will be translated into
action. The address of the
Secretariat of the Convention to Combat Desertification is: UNCCD Secretariat P.O. Box 260129 53153 Bonn, Germany Tel.: +49-228-815.2800 Fax: +49.228.815.2898/99 E-mail: secretariat@unccd.int website : http://www.unccd.int
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SHORT SUMMARY OF SEVERAL CROSS-LINKAGES Land
degradation is certainly not standing on its own. The CCD therefore
touches upon many adjacent fields of work. As an illustration, several
cross-linkages are given an example of below. See also the bibliography
for more literature on various themes. ·
Land degradation and
poverty Poverty eradication through
mitigating the effects of drought is an important focus of the CCD. It
is estimated that there are close to one billion poor rural people
living in drylands. The CCD NAPs need to be interwoven with other
national development planning, such as the Poverty Reduction Strategy
Papers (PRSPs). However, PRSPs’ focus at the moment is on economic
growth, not on sustainability. Non-sustainable development in the
fragile drylands leads to even more land degradation and thus poverty.
One role for CSOs could be to promote enhanced synergy of NAPs and
PRSPs, so that poverty eradication is reached through sustainable
development. ·
Land degradation and
gender collection, and have finely
tuned adaptive strategies to cope with the environmental constraints.
Men and women most of the time have different rights and access to land
and resources. Men tend to migrate to cities in times of scarcity.
Recognising the differences, and adapting anti-desertification measures,
policies and projects to these differences leads to many benefits such
as increased investments in drought-management and labour availability. ·
Land degradation and
biodiversity ·
Land degradation, food
security and food sovereignty Agriculture, food security
and drylands are closely interlinked. Droughts directly threaten food
production, and unsustainable agricultural practices can lead to further
degradation of the soil. The shift from traditional small-scale
agriculture to intensified large-scale production of export crops has
put a severe pressure on the already fragile drylands, and threatens the
subsistence agriculture of the inhabitants themselves. According to some,
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) can be a possible alternative to
assure worldwide food security. However, massive introduction of GMOs
would not be without significant health and environmental impacts, e.g.
the threat to agro-biodiversity (see paragraph above). GMOs also
threaten the crowding out of traditional seed systems and local
knowledge, which are both of high importance in drylands.
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Sub Sahara Africa
used to have a rich variety in local seed systems. Seed was grown by
part of the local farmers and supplied to the other farmers of the
communities. Despite their low yields, these local seeds were adapted to
local circumstances. In order to modernise their agriculture most
African governments provided their farmers with Green revolution inputs,
such as high yielding seed varieties. This was especially true for
governments with huge export revenues, like Zambia. From the sixties
Zambian farmers received hybrid maize seed and chemical fertilisers from
government controlled co-operatives (parastatals). Their top down
approach, however, resulted in the invalidation of local initiatives, especially local
seed systems. Farmers became dependent on the government. In October 2002 Zambia, suspecting genetic modification, decided to reject donated corn from the US. Since the country still suffers from the earlier modernization, rejecting the corn caused indignant reactions from some parts of the world, as if the Zambian government, all alone, let it’s own people starve.
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·
Land degradation and
Multilateral Financial Institutions (MFIs)
ROLE OF CSOs IN THE CONVENTION PROCESS With
every session of the INCD, the participating CSOs organised themselves
better, and definitely had an important impact on the negotiations. They
were able to successfully lobby for participation, for an integrated
basic approach of the Convention, and for the creation of financial
mechanisms in which CSOs will participate. And, CSOs are playing an
important role in the implementation of the Convention to ensure
effective participation of local communities in the National Action
Programmes. Since the first Conference of the Parties, CSOs have been
able to put their own priorities on the official agenda: two half-day
sessions on the agenda are organised by CSOs, the Open Dialogue
Sessions. The issue of participation has been addressed several times to
develop consensus about at least the basic quality and quantity of
participation in the NAPs. Gender for example is an issue that has been
addressed in several Open Dialogue Sessions. THE INTERNATIONAL NGO NETWORK ON DESERTIFICATION - RIOD (Réseau International d’ONG sur la Désertification) Website: http://www.riodccd.org CSOs
have been actively combating desertification long before negotiations on
the Convention started. Their activities do not depend on whether their
governments have ratified the CCD or not. However, those CSOs that were
involved in the negotiation process of the CCD, believed that the
Convention could strengthen the CSOs in their efforts to combat
desertification. They have been searching for ways to inform people
about the CCD, to explain how they can make use of the provisions of the
Convention and to foster communication among CSOs globally on combating
desertification. In
November 1994, CSOs formally established an international network on
desertification, called RIOD. The mission of RIOD is to promote and
enhance the participation of civil society in the implementation of the
CCD at all levels, especially in the National Action Programmes (NAPs).
RIOD promotes the active participation of women and encourages
gender-balanced representation at all levels. This
global network has focal points at the national and (sub-)regional
levels. The overall strategic management of the network lies under the
responsibility of a Global Coordinating Committee, in which 15 regions
are represented. RIOD’s
role in the implementation of CCD has been widely recognized by the
parties. It is not the only network of CSOs on the theme of
desertification, but it is probably the best-known one. For
more information on the RIOD network, or the National Focal Point in
your country or region, contact: Solidarite Canada Sahel Contact person: Mrs. Rosario
Ortiz Montréal, Québec, Canada H2J 3E6 Tel: (514) 522-6077 Extension: 11 Fax: (514) 522-2370 E-mail : r.ortiz.scs@vl.videotron.ca
THE EUROPEAN NETWORK INITIATIVE ON DESERTIFICATION - eniD The European Networking
Initiative on Desertification (eniD) was created in June 2001 by
European CSOs involved in the implementation of the UNCCD. At the moment
this working group counts six organisations and networks, which are
operational in the field of drylands development. EniD is
dedicated to the UNCCD process in general and to the participatory
approach of the convention in particular – considering both to be
essential steps on the way to sustainable development. The
initiative seeks to improve the co-operation between CSOs at the
European level in order to enhance support to civil
society partners in affected countries, particularly in view of their
active involvement in the decision making, implementation and assessment
processes of the UNCCD. EniD’s
activities involve:
For more information on
eniD, please contact: Mr. Jürgen Gliese c/o d.visions E-mail:ag.d@eni-D.net
OTHER
BODIES RELATED TO THE CCD
The Convention consists of
several institutions that support its implementation. They are
summarised below. ·
CST The Committee on Science and
Technology (CST), a subsidiary body of the Convention whose function is
to advise the Conference of the Parties on scientific and technical
matters regarding the combat of desertification. Information at COPs is
transmitted through ad hoc panels. Each ad hoc panel appointed by the
COP is composed of experts whose names are taken from the roster of
independent experts. At CoP-1 it was decided that the roster of experts
will be open to CSOs as well.
·
Global Mechanism The Global Mechanism is in
charge of promoting actions to mobilise financial resources, including
the transfer of technology. The Global Mechanism is hosted in Rome by
the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and
functions under the authority and guidance of the Conference of the
Parties. ·
GEF The Global Environment
Facility was established by the World Bank, the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environmental
Programme (UNEP) in 1990. It operates as the financial mechanism of both
the Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Biodiversity (UNCBD)
Conventions. The GEF was created to provide grants and concessional
funds to developing countries to finance incremental costs for
programmes, projects, and activities to protect the world's environment.
The GEF is expected to become a financial mechanism of the CCD, once the
operational modalities are approved by the GEF Council and these
decisions by the COP in 2003. ·
CRIC The Committee for the Review
of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC) was established by COP 5
in 2001. It is a subsidiary body of the Convention, which reviews and
analyses national reports that submitted by the parties. The goal of the
committee is to improve the coherence, impact and effectiveness of
policies and programmes that are aimed at the restoration of the
agro-ecological balance in the drylands. Its first meeting was in Rome
in November 2002, and it will meet on an annual basis. Although
the Convention is an international agreement, it could create an
enabling environment for the local level. Very much depends on the
actions CSOs undertake to use this opportunity for sustainable
development. Before the Convention can be used as an instrument in any
country, the government should have ratified it. CSOs have to make sure
that this will happen. CSOs are also the actors to build the bridge
between the local, national and international levels, by ensuring public
participation. Therefore mechanisms have to be put in place for the
planning, implementation and review of National Action Programmes. For
the first time in UN history, CSOs organised a half-day formal session
at COP-1. As part of the official working agenda, CSOs and delegates
exchanged views and information on key issues regarding partnerships.
Partnerships between different stakeholders and at all levels are
considered essential for the successful implementation of the
Convention. This initiative, taken by CSOs, was very much valued and it
was decided that at future COPs CSOs will have the opportunity to
organise two ½ day formal sessions. These
examples are part of creating an enabling environment at the
international level. Most work is done at the local and national level.
This is also the area where CSOs can be most influential. CSOs
can undertake the following actions: Inform other CSOs about the Convention and the
opportunities for CSOs: ·
Inform CSOs in your area
about the existence of the Convention and where to find information; ·
Organise a forum with CSOs
at the national level to raise awareness, possibly in collaboration with
your (sub-)regional CCD Focal Point and other national stakeholders; ·
Establish a national CSO
co-ordinating committee on desertification; ·
Organise awareness raising
activities in collaboration with other CSOs. Inquire whether your government has ratified the
Convention: ·
Try to find out what the
official position is regarding key issues; ·
Ask for information on how
to become nominated for the roster of experts on the CST. ·
If your country is Party to
the Convention, request
involvement in the National Action Programming Ask accreditation for your organisation to the CCD: ·
You are only allowed to
participate in the Conference Of Parties of the CCD if you are
accredited; ·
On request, the secretariat
will provide you with information on matters related to the Convention;
·
Official documents,
announcements of meetings, and relevant issues are available from the
website: http://www.unccd.int, or on
request from the secretariat. The contact person for NGOs
within the UNCCD secretariat is: Mr. Marcos Montoiro UNCCD - External Relations
and Public Information Haus Carstanjen Martin Luther Kingstr. 8 53175 Bonn, Germany Tel.: +49-228-815.2802 E-mail: mmontoiro@unccd.int Exchange experiences through CSO networks on
Desertification such as RIOD: ·
Get to know more about RIOD,
the Convention text, the names of delegates from your country, the
national focal point in your country, the activities and meetings in
your region, participating CSOs in your country or region, etc.; ·
Share experience in
combating desertification; your experiences are important for others and
also for lobbying;
OTHER
USEFULL ADDRESSES & LINKS International Fund for
Agricultural Development (IFAD) (Global Mechanism for the
CCD)
Contact person: Mrs. Sappho
Haralambous (Coordinator, NGO and Civil Society Partnerships, Economic
Policy and Resource Strategy Dept.) Via del Serafico 107, 00142 Rome, Italy Phone: +39-06-5459.2238 Fax: +39-06-5459.2238 E-mail: s.haralambous@ifad.org
Website: http://www.ifad.org UNDP Drylands Development
Centre (formerly UNSO) United Nations Avenue,
Gigiri UNDP Dryland Website: http://www.undp.org/seed/unso Drylands
development Centre website:
http://www.undp.org/drylands United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) Division of Policy
Development and Law Civil Society and NGO Unit P.O. Box 30552, Nairobi,
Kenya Tel:
(254-2) 623 223 Fax: (254-2) 623 022 Email: dinah.korir@unep.org;
rosemary.okinda-akumu@unep.org Website: http://www.unep.org/dpdl/cso International Arid Lands Consortium (IALC) The IALC is a research institute on arid and
semi-arid lands. Website:
IISD – Desertsites A portal regarding sites
about deserts with a lot of useful links. Website: http://www.iisd.ca/linkages/desert/desertsites.html International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) - Drylands Programme Website: http://www.iied.org/drylands/index.html Office of Arid Lands Studies
(OALS) Website: http://ag.arizona.edu/OALS/oals/oals.html MEDALUS Mediterranean
Desertification and Land Use 1991-1999: Research into the effects of
desertification in the Mediterranean region. Website: http://www.medalus.demon.co.uk
China Desertification Information Network Website: http://www.din.net.cn
Assessment of solar and wind
energy utilization in Africa, ENDA-TM, B.P. 3370, Dakar, Senegal, 1994. At the desert’s edge, oral
histories from the Sahel, N. Cross and R. Barker (Ed.), SOS Sahel,
PANOS-London, 9 White Lion Street, London N1 0PD, UK, 1992. Challenge
papers (1. Poverty and the Drylands; 2.
Strategies for the Sustainable Development of Dryland Areas; 3.
Biodiversity in the Drylands; 4. Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate
Change in the Drylands), Global
Drylands Partnership, 2001, http://www.undp.org/seed/unso/globalpartnership/gdp.htm Changing Places? Women,
resource management and migration in the Sahel, case studies from
Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mali and Sudan, SOS Sahel UK, IFAD, IIED, 3
Endsleigh Street, London WC1H 0DD, UK,1995. Circular Letters on
Desertification, RIOD, ELCI, PO Box 72461, Nairobi, Kenya. Combating Desertification. A
Glossary. UNCCD secretariat, http://www.unccd.int/knowledge/glossary.php Desertification, a
backgrounder for journalists, IDRC, PO Box 8500, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
KIG3H9, 1994. Desertification and Gender
mainstreaming, draft, IUCN Environment-Gender Guideline #7. 2002. Desertification Control
Bulletin, UNEP, PO Box 30552, Nairobi, Kenya.
http://www.unep.org/unep/program/natres/land/dcpacpub.htm Down to Earth: A simplified
guide to the Convention to Combat Desertification, why it is necessary
and what is important and different about it; published by the Centre
for Our Common Future, 33, route de Valavran, 1293 Bellevue, Geneva,
Switzerland, in collaboration with the Interim Secretariat for the
Convention to Combat Desertification, Switzerland, 1995. Earth Negotiations Bulletin,
published by IISD, Canada, Phone (204) 958-7733/ 7750, http://www.iisd.ca/enbvol/enb-background.htm Frequently Asked Questions.
UNCCD secretariat, http://www.unccd.int/knowledge/faq.php Haramata, Bulletin of the
Drylands: People, Policies, Programmes, published by IIED, 3 Endsleigh
Street, London WC1H 0DD, UK. International Advocacy
Handbook, WWF International, Avenue du Mont Blanc, CH-1196 Gland,
Switzerland, 1994. Lobby Manual for NGOs, that
are involved in the Inter-governmental Negotiating Committee for a
Convention to Combat Desertification (INCD), ELCI, PO Box 72461,
Nairobi, Kenya, January 1994. Mise en oeuvre de la Convention
sur la Desertification/Implementation of the Convention on Desertification,
EEB, Rue de la Victoire 126, 1060 Brussels, Belgium, 1995. Perspectives: Dossier: La Désertification,
Groupe Europeen de Réflexion Ecologique (GERE), Rue Stévin 115, B-1040
Bruxelles, Belgium, no. 4, julliet 1995. Riod Fact Sheet Special
Issue: Drylands ecosystems: Poverty and desertification link. Rosario
Ortiz Quijano, SCS, March 2003. RIOD Framework Document,
2000. Saving Our Soils, Raising
Funds for the Struggle Against Desertification, ELCI & Both ENDS,
1997. Synergy of CBD and CCD: an
inventory and analysis of opportunities for collaboration between the
two Rio conventions in West-Africa. M.J. van Gelder and W.T. de Groot. Leiden: CML,
2001. http://www.leidenuniv.nl/cml/pmo/publications/CBD-CCD%20report.pdf The Desertification
Bulletin, Brot für die Welt/Fakt UNCCD support programme, Schifferstr
33a, 60594 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The Struggle against
Desertification, combating degradation in Africa's Drylands, ELCI, P.O.
Box 72461, Nairobi, Kenya, 1995. The United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification: An Explanatory Leaflet. UNCCD
secretariat, http://www.unccd.int/convention/text/leaflet.php United Nations Convention to
Combat Desertification, in those countries experiencing serious drought
and/or desertification, particularly in Africa, text with annexes, UNEP,
Secretariat of UNCCD, Geneva, 1995. CSO - Civil Society
Organisation – all non-governmental
organisations, ranging from grassroots and local community-based
organisations to international CSOs. COP - Conference of the
Parties - The governing body and
supreme decision-making authority for the Parties to the Convention. The
first session of the COP to the UNCCD took place in Rome, Italy, on 29
September - 10 October 1997; the second in Dakar, Senegal, on 30
November - 11 December 1998; the third in Recife, Brazil, on 15-26
November 1999; the fourth in Bonn, Germany, on 11-22 December 2000; the
fifth in Geneva, Switzerland, on 1-12 October 2001. NAP - National Action
Programme – National Action
Programmes are at the heart of the Convention and constitute the
conceptual and legal framework for implementing it at the national and
local levels. Their purpose is to identify the factors contributing to
desertification and the practical measures necessary to combat
desertification and mitigate the effects of drought. The Convention
indicates that affected countries shall elaborate and implement them
with the full participation of local communities and all interested
stakeholders. Furthermore, they should be fully integrated with other
development programmes. NGO – Non-governmental Organisation Source:
Combating Desertification. A Glossary.
UNCCD secretariat, http://www.unccd.int/knowledge/glossary.php Biological Diversity: The diversity of living organisms from all kind of
origins, including, amongst others, terrestrial, marine and other
aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are a
part; this includes also the diversity within species, between species
and of ecosystems. Convention: A contract, agreement or treaty between or among states
for the regulation of matters affecting them. Desertification: Land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry subhumid
areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and
human activities. Desertification is a primarily socio-economic process
by which natural resources are degraded through unsustainable landuse
practices and population pressures - a process that can lead
eventually to the creation of newly desertified areas, or areas where
the diversity of life is destroyed. Drought: Natural hazards of dry climates that occur when water
or moisture is so scarce, relative to demand, that the ecology of a
region becomes severely unbalanced. Drought can last for one season or
for many years and can affect, or be affected by, the course of
desertification. Drylands: Areas characterised by aridity or a lack of moisture in
average climatic conditions. Drylands are classified as hyperarid, arid,
semi-arid or dry subhumid. The world’s drylands total 41% of the
total global land area (6.15 billion hectares). Of this total, 5.15
billion hectares are being used agriculturally. More than two-thirds
(3.56 billion ha) of the agriculturally used drylands are considered to
be at least mildly degraded. Ecosystem: A dynamic complex of communities of plants, animals and
micro-organisms and their not-living surroundings that form a functional
unity in their relative interaction. Land degradation: The progressive weakening of the physical, biological and economic potential of the land. It is a serious threat to overall productivity and therefore to the livelihoods of people who live on the land. Land degradation erodes the diversity of plant and animal life. As it forces people to move and change their lifestyles, it also erodes the diversity of the people who live in degrading areas, their cultures, languages and knowledge. Monoculture: The cultivation of a crop of the same type for
successive years to the exclusion of all other crop types. Monoculture
cash cropping is the planting of one such crop type for export.
Monocultures are more susceptible to pest and disease and therefore
require more fertilisers and pesticides. Salinization: The accumulation of soluble mineral salts near the soil
surface, usually caused by the flow of water from saline ground water.
Where the rate of surface evaporation is high, irrigation can exacerbate
the problem by moistening the soil and causing water to be drawn from
deeper levels as water evaporates from the surface. The evaporation of
pure water leaves the salts behind, allowing them to accumulate, and
they can reach concentrations that are toxic to plants, thus sterilising
the land. Structural Adjustment
Programme: Structural adjustment loans
are given by the multilateral development banks (such as the World Bank)
with the objective of bringing about economy-wide reforms within
recipient countries. The latter are known as structural adjustment
programs and the reforms usually include reductions in import
restrictions and the introduction or promotion of “free-market”
policies, together with a relaxation of state controls on the economy.
To qualify for the loans, many countries cut social services, privatise
public industry, and occasionally devalue local currencies.
© Both ENDS 07/2003 |