Desertification has been recognized as a major environmental problem for more than 20 years. Control of desertification has been the subject of many international efforts; it has been a major focus of UNEP and there is a UN Convention to Combat Desertification. Despite this, control of desertification is considered by many observers to have been a failure. This paper reviews the history of formalized efforts to combat desertification, looks at the lessons that should be learned, and identifies opportunities for establishing closer links between desertification and other aspects of global change research. These include integrating biophysical and social science disciplines, the use of a hierarchical approach to research and monitoring, the development of functional classifications of landscapes and social systems, and the implementation of specific studies on key representative transects across the world. Progress towards repairing this form of land degradation will depend upon developing economic links between desertification and other global environmental problems.
Journal articles from the Grassland Society of Southern Africa (GSSA) African Journal of Range and Forage Science as well as related articles and reports from throughout the southern African region.