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Deserts are expanding throughout the world, hillsides are being washed away, reservoirs are silting up, and the entire Biosphere is becoming polluted. Directly or indirectly, one of the main causes of many of these misfortunes is the destruction of woods and forests. As most educated people are now aware, particular concern is being directed, these days, to the destruction of the…

Almost seven years ago, the world's nations agreed to a sweeping Plan of Action to halt the process of destruction which we call desertification. Now, UNEP has just completed a two-years' assessment which reveals that the global threat posed by desertification, far from diminishing, has actually increased in severity. Currently about 35% of the world's land surface is at risk, and…

Remarkable successes and new challenges to cope with requirements for food and water are analyzed. Trends in demography, food preferences and consumer habits are scrutinized together with their implications for human well-being and natural resources. Making best use of variable and limited water resources presumes proper management and efficient technologies, but also a worthwhile…

This article looks at desertification — both on a global scale and as it relates to Africa. Desertification is defined here as the diminution or destruction of the biological potential of the land, and is caused basically by overuse of inherently fragile productive systems. After distinguishing between desertification and drought (two closely related ecological hazards), the author…

With high and accelerating population growth and with low and declining efficiency in the use of resources, Africa is currently facing a long-term declining trend. Since agriculture accounted for 41% of the GDP of Africa in 1982, formulation and implementation of efficient land use policies are prerequisites if the long-term adverse trend is to be reversed.

In September 1986 the International Symposium and Workshop on Drought was held at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the USA. More than 150 scientists and policy makers from more than 25 drought-prone nations participated. The symposium was organized to review our current knowledge of drought and to determine what research and information is needed to improve national and international…