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Desertification/land degradation is the most serious global environmental issues in the world drylands which occupy one-third of the Earth's land surface. Coupled with the adverse effects of human activities and severe and persistent droughts, this process has increasingly threaten the human survival in many parts of the world drylands, particularly in developing countries, by destroying the life…

Since 1962 the Desert Institute of the former Academy of Science of the USSR has been conducting research work in the arid and semi-arid zones of central Asia. This outstanding experience in desert and desertification problems, and the possibilities of sustainable land use under difficult environmental conditions is summarized here. The book also gives an overview of the Institute's consulting…

The chapters in this volume are edited versions of papers presented at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Environmental Change Adaptation and Security held in Budapest, Hungary, from October 16 - 18, 1997. As is evident in this volume, the papers ranged from descriptions of environmental and health issues in Russia and Eastern Europe to models of sustainable land use. This…

Aspects of the management of dryland ecosystems are discussed under the following headings: desert environment; desert vegetation; plant selection; man and dryland ecosystems; interpreting and forecasting man's effect on dryland ecosystems in rural and urban areas; and techniques for developing balanced ecosystems with plants (survey and master planning implementation). Details of general…

Global markets, global technology, global ideas and global solidarity can enrich the lives of people everywhere. The challenge is to ensure that the benefits are shared equitably and that this increasing interdependence works for people—not just for profits. This year’s Report argues that globalization is not new, but that the present era of globalization, driven by competitive…

Continuing land degradation and increasing numbers of people living in poverty are among the symptoms of the current pressure on land resources. To date, the world’s response to the two challenges of satisfying human needs and maintaining the integrity of global ecosystems has been less than successful. The lack of an integrated planning framework for land has historically been…