The Future of Drylands: International Scientific Conference on Desertification and Drylands Research Tunis, Tunisia, 19-21 June 2006

ISBN-13: 9781402069697 / Angielski / Twarda / 2008 / 804 str.

Cathleen Lee; Thomas Schaaf

Opis

Home to an estimated two billion people and widespread poverty, the world??'s drylands also host a surprising wealth of biodiversity ??? many plant, animal and fungal species have a remarkable ability to adapt to the prevailing harsh climatic conditions. In view of the exacerbation of desertification and its implications for the goal of poverty eradication, along with the threatened loss of biodiversity, the "2006 International Year of Deserts and Desertification" proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly aimed at raising public awareness and protecting local and indigenous communities with their traditional knowledge of drylands.

In commemoration of 50 years of research in the United Nations system, UNESCO organized an international conference on "The Future of Drylands" in June 2006 in Tunis, Tunisia.

Spis treści

From the Table of Contents Preface.- Opening Session.- Keynote Presentations.- Session 1: Conservation of Biodiversity, Cultural and Natural Heritage in Drylands.- Sessions 2: Dryland Hydrology and Water Management.- Session 3: Monitoring and Forecasting of Dryland Ecosystem Dynamics.- Session 4: Sustainable Land use and Agriculture.- Session 5: Disaster and Risk Management in Drylands.- Session 6: Policy, Governance and Socio-Economic Dynamics in Changing Drylands.- Session 7: Viable Dryland Livelihoods and Policy Options.- Session 8: Education and Knowledge Sharing in Drylands.- Closing Session.- Summary of Presentations.- Annexes.

Blurb

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.