Implementing the UNCCD: Participatory challenges

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) emphasizes the need for public participation in land degradation assessment and rehabilitation. While participatory approaches are supported by a growing body of research and practice, meaningfully involving the people affected by land degradation is far from straightforward. This paper investigates the challenge of using the UNCCD as a guide to influence community participation in policy‐making and practice at national and local levels by analyzing experiences from three southern African countries. We show that the UNCCD represents a useful normative framework for addressing degradation problems, but that the participatory ethos is difficult to enact at the national level. Whilst there is increasing evidence that combining local and scientific knowledge using participatory mechanisms can deliver the benefits that the Convention strives to achieve, communication between researchers and practitioners, and those involved in implementing the UNCCD at the national level needs to be strengthened. Broad lessons and best practices in incorporating participatory practices into policy development are elucidated. Our case studies show that a range of mixed‐method, interdisciplinary approaches can enable policy‐makers and practitioners to meaningfully engage those who are affected by land degradation in its definition, assessment and rehabilitation.     

Connecting Research to Combating Desertification

With and without the encouragement of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and its Committee on Science and Technology, scientific research has been undertaken throughout the drylands with the expectation of contributing to combating desertification. Little of this research has been applied in developing countries for its identified purpose. The main reason for this is the limited translation of scientific research into an accessible format for application by development agencies or rural communities.     

UNCCD与《中华人民共和国防沙治沙法》比较研究

文章选取了《联合国防治荒漠化公约》和《中华人民共和国防沙治沙法》作为比较对象,从立法背景、性质、基本结构、基本内容等角度对二者进行了比较,并指出了二者的特有之处。从而分析国内法律和国际法律的不同,并提供了我国防治沙漠化中如何借鉴好的做法,并结合自身的实际情况加以吸收的途径。     

Drought Hazard and Desertification Management in the Drylands of Southern Africa

Droughts have been occurring persistently in southern African dryland regions for over a century. The impacts of droughts on people, their domesticated animals, wildlife, rangelands and cropped lands have been shown to be astronomical. If left alone the rangelands often recover after the calamity, however human occupation has led to irreversible damage. Even though some communities have evolved viable and sustainable coping mechanisms, recent times have seen weakened coping strategies leading to loss of life in most of the 10 countries in southern Africa. While land degradation has many inter-related causes and effects, drought-related effects have proven most difficult to manage and/or overcome. Drought-related land degradation or desertification poses a huge threat to sustainable land and resource management in the region. The paper examines appropriate drought mitigating initiatives, linking them to land tenure and land management practices. Numerous interventions targeted at reducing poverty and improvement in resource management have failed to achieve desired effects due to rigidity and imposition, and failure of the external interveners to recognise and incorporate indigenous peoples’ preferences and coping strategies. Non-governmental organisations and authorities’ willingness to institute drought and desertification combating measures are reviewed, highlighting the role that community action plays in reducing adverse effects in the region. Linkages to trade patterns that perpetuate poverty and unwise use of resources are discussed. Adopting ‘people centred’ mitigating measures is emphasised. Success rests with both the people in the ‘south’ and those in the ‘north’. What is required is an informed global action.     

科技攻关防沙止漠综合整治西北国土——"荒漠化治理技术研究与示范"项目评述

本文论述了“九五”国家科技攻关项目“荒漠化治理技术研究与示范”，在我国北方沙地整治和西北地区生态环境建设中的示范作用，并详细分析了所取得的成果和技术创新以及由此而产生的深远影响，为有关研究和决策机构提供一定的参考。