A Policy Framework for Combating Desertification in the Arab Region PDF

Keywords

Desertification, population growth, urbanization, ecological degradation, environmental policies

Abstract

It is widely accepted, that desertification is simply land degradation in the dry lands due to a number of factors including climatic variations and human activities. The Arab region is particularly vulnerable to several development problems that are caused by mismanagement of natural resources of its marginal dry lands. This paper provides a brief synthesis of the rapid population increase and the expanding urbanization, loss of productive land and biodiversity and the deterioration of the water resources in the Arab region. The consensus of opinion indicates that resources management practices have been sustainable. That induced disruption of social systems, ecological degradation, increasing population pressure and poverty. The evidence indicates inherent lack of appropriate government policies and weak institutions. Because desertification problems are not addressed systematically and because these time-delayed problems are difficult to handle in the future, they need to be addressed as policy issues now. The discussion highlights the need to consider a wider range of collective and coordinated policies at the level of the Arab region to combat the problems of desertification.