Mauritania is one of the Sahelian countries most severely affected by the repeated periods of drought that have been occurring since the end of the 1960s. Desertification control has always been a national priority and a central concern of successive governments, taking the practical form of various development plans and programmes over the past four decades.

After ratification of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), in June 2001 Mauritania formulated a National Action Plan to Combat Desertification (PAN-LCD), adopting an integrated, participatory approach. As in other countries in the Sahelian region, constantly increasing desertification is due to various natural, human, juridical and socio-economic factors, which combine to cause degradation of soil, forest resources and biodiversity.