Booklets & factsheets

Desire for Greener Land

2013-10-22T15:27:01Z

Desire for Greener Land. Options for Sustainable Land Management in Drylands

Schwilch, G., Hessel, R. and Verzandvoort, S. (Eds) 2012. 282 pp

Bern, Switzerland, and Wageningen, The Netherlands: University of Bern - CDE, Alterra - Wageningen UR, ISRIC - World Soil Information and CTA - Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation.

Abstract

Desire for Greener Land compiles options for Sustainable Land Management (SLM) in drylands. It is a result of the integrated research project DESIRE (Desertification Mitigation and Remediation of Land - A Global Approach for Local Solutions). Lasting five years (2007-2012) and funded within the EU's Sixth Framework Programme, DESIRE brought together the expertise of 26 international research institutes and non-governmental organisations. The DESIRE project aimed to establish promising alternative land use and management strategies in 17 degradation and desertification sites around the world, relying on close collaboration between scientists and local stakeholder groups. The study sites provided a global laboratory in which researchers could apply, test, and identify new and innovative approaches to combating desertification. The resulting SLM strategies are local- to regional-scale interventions designed to increase productivity, preserve natural resource bases, and improve people's livelihoods. These were documented and mapped using the internationally recognised WOCAT (World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies) methodological framework, which formed an integral part of the DESIRE project.

The DESIRE approach offers an integrated multidisciplinary way of working together from the beginning to the end of a project; it enables scientists, local stakeholders and policy makers to jointly find solutions to desertification. This book describes the DESIRE approach and WOCAT methodology for a range of audiences, from local agricultural advisors to scientists and policymakers. Links are provided to manuals and online materials, enabling application of the various tools and methods in similar projects. The book also includes an analysis of the current context of degradation and SLM in the study sites, in addition to analysis of the SLM technologies and approaches trialled in the DESIRE project. Thirty SLM technologies, eight SLM approaches, and several degradation and SLM maps from all the DESIRE study sites are compiled in a concise and well-illustrated format, following the style of this volume's forerunner Where the land is greener (WOCAT 2007). Finally, conclusions and policy points are presented on behalf of decision makers, the private sector, civil society, donors, and the research community. These are intended to support people's efforts to invest wisely in the sustainable management of land – enabling greener drylands to become a reality, not just a desire.

More details ... download the full book or order a hard copy

Desire for Greener Land (19.93 MB)

For information on ordering a hard copy, please contact erik.vandenelsen@wur.nl

Factsheet 1: Science and livelihoods

2012-01-09T11:37:11Z

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A two-page leaflet describing how when researchers talk with local stakeholders, it is a win-win strategy for science and livelihoods

Factsheet 1 [0.6MB]

Factsheet 1_FR [0.7 MB]

Factsheet 1_PT [799 kB]

Factsheet 2: Researchers and policy makers

2012-01-09T11:59:51Z

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A two-page leaflet describing how, in desertification research, discussions between researchers and policy makers can make all the difference.

Factsheet 2 [0.4 MB]

Factsheet 2_FR [0.6 MB]

Factsheet 2_PT [563 kB]

Factsheet 3: Land users' views are essential

2012-01-09T12:03:45Z

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A two-page leaflet describing how the views of land-users are essential for desertification research.

Factsheet 3 [0.6 MB]

Factsheet 3_FR [0.7 MB]

Factsheet 3_PT [814 kB]

Factsheet 4: Encouraging sustainable management

2012-01-09T12:08:42Z

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A two-page leaflet describing how to encourage sustanainble land management of fragile and degraded ecosystems - demonstrated by the results of field experiments. Based on experience in Sehoul, in the Rabat region of Morocco.

Fact sheet 4 [0.4 MB]

Fact sheet 4_FR [0.6 MB]

Factsheet 5: Improving communication

2012-01-09T12:13:00Z

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A two-page leaflet on improving communication between researchers and the media. An example from Boteti, Botswana.

Fact sheet 5 [0.6 MB]

Factsheet 6: Forests in drylands

2012-01-31T09:29:30Z

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Let's plant more trees in drylands - DESIRE shows how forests help to avoid desertification. Factsheet prepared for Desertification Day, 17 June 2011

Factsheet 6: Forests in drylands [520 kB]

Info-brief 1: Tackling salinization of soils in arid and semi-arid regions

2010-09-06T10:47:45Z

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An 8-page booklet based on reports from DESIRE sites in Greece and Russia.

Info-brief 1: salinisation [2.18MB]

Info-brief 1: salinisation_TR [2.53MB]

Info-brief 2: Sustainable land management enhances our soils

2010-11-23T10:46:16Z

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A 3-page leaflet showing how this is achieved in the DESIRE project.

Info-brief 2: Sustainable land management enhances our soils [1.02MB]

Info-brief 3: Scientists and stakeholders learn to listen to one another

2012-01-17T17:14:25Z

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	Info-brief 3: Scientists and stakeholders listen to one another [1.7 MB]