All publications and documents

The internationalization of the world has put issues of governance at the heart of our future. This is obvious for most people when it comes to the environment. During the 1990's international cooperation on environmental issues has increased, especially after UNCED in Rio de Janeiro 1992. In this book, a number of distinguished people with experience of environmental affairs contribute…

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…

This study reports area and population per aridity zone for the major regions and sub-regions of the world using low resolution data from the World Atlas on Desertification. Country level estimates are not given for Asia and Latin America because of relatively coarse resolution of the climate data used to generate these zones. For purposes of comparison you will find information…

It is no accident that our planet is called Earth. All terrestrial life depends on the fragile, friable crust of soil that coats the continents. This precious covering is painfully slow to form and can be destroyed terrifyingly fast. Just a single inch of soil can take centuries to build up! But, if mistreated, it can be blown and washed away in a few seasons. And earth is now rapidly vanishing…

A collection is presented of NGO contributions from around the world in order to highlight dimensions of Agenda 21 implementation at the local level that might not otherwise be captured by the international dialogue. Contributors describe NGO projects and other activities focused on UN Conference of Environment and Development (UNCED) follow up, and how UNCED's new approach to sustainable…

The main cause of desertification and land degradation is over-intensive, unsustainable land use. Around a billion people live in rural dryland areas alone. Combating desertification acquires particular significance on account of the close linkages with global climate change, biodiversity loss and the resulting rise in food insecurity. The sparing use of resources and the…