Findings of the Global Desertification Assessment by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment – A Perspective for Better Managing Scientific Knowledge

A global assessment of desertification undertaken by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) shows that desertification in drylands threatens the homes and livelihoods of millions of poor. Environmental impacts of desertification are further exacerbated by political marginalization of the dryland poor and the slow growth of health and education infrastructures. The MA report also highlights the global nature of the environmental and social challenges posed by desertification. The impacts on the global environment — increasing dust storms, floods and global warming — are well known and documented. Less well-known are the strong impacts of desertification on societies and economies, notably those related to human migration and economic refugees. The MA report points to a variety of integrated policy options to reverse the decline of drylands while optimizing economic output, and emphasizes the inclusion of these in the mainstream national strategies for poverty reduction.The MA report suggests that full understanding of the significance of desertification is constrained by many uncertainties regarding the relationships among desertification, climate change, biodiversity, ecosystem services and human well-being. To counter these uncertainties, we need to significantly improve and document our knowledge of the interactions between socio-economic factors and ecosystem conditions. A framework developed by a group of UN agencies provides the underpinnings for improved management of scientific knowledge and monitoring — leading to improved understanding of the human-ecosystem interactions. The framework is part of a new initiative to evaluate the global environmental benefits of combating land degradation. While building on the conceptual approach espoused by the MA, this initiative aspires to develop a knowledge management network for issues relevant to land degradation, including desertification and deforestation.