Success stories in the struggle against desertification. A holistic and integrated approach to environmental conservation and sustainable livelihoods

The remit of this paper is to identify and examine “success” stories in combating desertification.

It is worth clarifying at the start the working definitions of “land degradation” and “success” to be used in the paper. The UNCCD defines Land degradation as: “reduction or loss, in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas, of the biological or economic productivity and complexity of rainfed cropland, irrigated cropland, or range, pasture, forest and woodlands resulting from land uses or from a process or combination of processes, including processes arising from human activities and habitation patterns, such as: (i) soil erosion caused by wind and/or water; (ii) deterioration of the physical, chemical and biological or economic properties of soil; and (iii) long-term loss of natural vegetation” (UNCCD, 1994).

There are broader definitions in use. For example, the Globan Environment Facility (GEF) definition includes deforestation as a form of LD but in this paper the UNCCD definition is used.

Table of content:
1. Case studies: Evaluating reports
2. Case studies: Report summaries