programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.
11.35. Accelerating development consists of implementing the management -related and data/information
activities cited above. Activities related to global environmental issues are those that will contribute to
global information for assessing/evaluating/addressing environmental issues on a worldwide basis.
Strengthening the capacity of international institutions consists of enhancing the technical staff and the
executing capacity of several international organizat ions in order to meet the requirements of
countries.
(b) Scientific and technological means
11.36. Assessment and systematic observation activities involve major research efforts, statistical
modelling and technological innovation. These have been internalized into the management -related
activities. The activities in turn will improve the technological and scientific content of assessment and
periodical evaluations. Some of the specific scientific and technological components included under
these activities are :
a. Developing technical, ecological and economic methods and models related to periodical
evaluations and evaluation;
b. Developing data systems, data processing and statistical modelling;
c. Remote sensing and ground surveys;
d. Developing geographic informatio n systems;
e. Assessing and improving technology.
11.37. These are to be linked and harmonized with similar activities and components in the other
programme areas.
(c) Human resource development
11.38. The programme activities foresee the need and include provision f or human resource development in terms of specialization (e.g., the use of remote -sensing, mapping and statistical modelling), training, technology transfer, fellowships and field demonstrations.
(d) Capacity-building
11.39. National Governments, in collabora tion with appropriate international organizations and institutions, should develop the necessary capacity for implementing this programme area. This should be harmonized with capacity -building for other programme areas. Capacity -building should cover such aspects as policies, public administration, national -level institutions, human resource and skill development, research capability, technology development, information systems, programme evaluation, intersectoral coordination and international cooperation.
(e) Funding of international and regional cooperation
11.40. The secretariat of the Conference has estimated the average total annual cost (1993 -2000) of implementing the activities of this programme to be about $750 million, including about $530 million from the international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and order -of- magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are non -concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.
Agenda 21 – Chapter 12 MANAGING FRAGILE ECOSYSTEMS: COMBATING DESERTIFICATION AND DROUGHT 12.1. Fragile ecosystems are important ecosystems, with unique feature s and resources. Fragile ecosystems include deserts, semi -arid lands, mountains, wetlands, small islands and certain coastal areas. Most of these ecosystems are regional in scope, as they transcend national boundaries. This chapter addresses land resource issues in deserts, as well as arid, semi -arid and dry sub-humid areas. Sustainable mountain development is addressed in chapter 13; small islands and coastal areas are discussed in chapter 17.
12.2. Desertification is land degradation in arid, semi -arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities. Desertification affects about one sixth of the world's population, 70 per cent of all drylands, amounting to 3.6 billion hectares, and one quarter of the total land area of the world. The most obvious impact of desertification, in addition to widespread poverty, is the degradation of 3.3 billion hectares of the total area of rangeland, constituting 73 per cent of the rangeland with a low potential for human and animal carrying capacity; decline in soil fertility and soil structure on about 47 per cent of the dryland areas constituting marginal rainfed cropland; and the degradation of irrigated cropland, amounting to 30 per cent of the dryland areas with a hi gh population density and agricultural potential.
12.3. The priority in combating desertification should be the implementation of preventive measures for lands that are not yet degraded, or which are only slightly degraded. However, the severely degraded areas should not be neglected. In combating desertification and drought, the participation of local communities, rural organizations, national Governments, non -governmental organizations and international and regional organizations is essential.
12.4. The following programme areas are included in this chapter:
a. Strengthening the knowledge base and developing information and monitoring systems
for regions prone to desertification and drought, including the economic and social
aspects of these ecosystems;
b. Combating land degradation through, inter alia, intensified soil conservation,
afforestation and reforestation activities;
c. Developing and strengthening integrated development programmes for the eradication of
poverty and promotion of alternative livelihood systems i n areas prone to desertification;
d. Developing comprehensive anti -desertification programmes and integrating them into
national development plans and national environmental planning;
e. Developing comprehensive drought preparedness and drought -relief schemes, including
self-help arrangements, for drought -prone areas and designing programmes to cope with
environmental refugees;
f. Encouraging and promoting popular participation and environmental education, focusing
on desertification control and management of the effects of drought.
PROGRAMME AREAS
A. Strengthening the knowledge base and developing information and monitoring systems for regions prone to desertification and drought, including the economic and social aspects of these ecosystems
Basis for action
12.5. The global assessments of the status and rate of desertification conducted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 1977, 1984 and 1991 have revealed insufficient basic knowledge of desertification processes. Adequate world -wide systematic observation systems are helpful for the development and implementation of effective anti -desertification programmes. The capacity of existing international, regional and national institutions, particularly in developing countries, to generate and exchange relevant information is limited. An integrated and coordinated information and systematic observation system based on appropriate technology and embracing global, regional, national and local levels is essential for understanding the dynamics of desertific ation and drought processes. It is also important for developing adequate measures to deal with desertification and drought and improving socio -economic conditions.
Objectives
12.6. The objectives of this programme area are:
a. To promote the establishment and /or strengthening of national environmental information
coordination centres that will act as focal points within Governments for sectoral
ministries and provide the necessary standardization and back -up services; to ensure also
that national environmental information systems on desertification and drought are linked
together through a network at subregional, regional and interregional levels;
b. To strengthen regional and global systematic observation networks linked to the
development of national systems fo r the observation of land degradation and
desertification caused both by climate fluctuations and by human impact, and to identify
priority areas for action;
c. To establish a permanent system at both national and international levels for monitoring
desertification and land degradation with the aim of improving living conditions in the
affected areas.
Activities
(a) Management-related activities
12.7. Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of the relevant international and regional
organizations, should:
a. Establish and/or strengthen environmental information systems at the national level;
b. Strengthen national, state/provincial and local assessment and ensure cooperation/networking
between existing environmental information and monitoring systems , such as Earthwatch and
the Sahara and Sahel Observatory;
c. Strengthen the capacity of national institutions to analyse environmental data so that
ecological change can be monitored and environmental information obtained on a continuing
basis at the nation al level.
(b) Data and information
12.8. Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of the relevant international and regional
organizations, should:
a. Review and study the means for measuring the ecological, economic and social consequences
of desertification and land degradation and introduce the results of these studies
internationally into desertification and land degradation assessment practices;
b. Review and study the interactions between the socio -economic impacts of climate, drought
and desertification and utilize the results of these studies to secure concrete action.
12.9. Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of the relevant international and regional
organizations, should:
a. Support the integrated data collection and research wo rk of programmes related to
desertification and drought problems;
b. Support national, regional and global programmes for integrated data collection and research
networks carrying out assessment of soil and land degradation;
c. Strengthen national and regional meteorological and hydrological networks and monitoring
systems to ensure adequate collection of basic information and communication among
national, regional and international centres.
(c) International and regional cooperation and coordination
12.10. Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of the relevant international and regional
organizations, should:
a. Strengthen regional programmes and international cooperation, such as the Permanent Inter -
State Committee on Drought Control in the Sahel (CI LSS), the Intergovernmental Authority
for Drought and Development (IGADD), the Southern African Development Coordination
Conference (SADCC), the Arab Maghreb Union and other regional organizations, as well as
such organizations as the Sahara and Sahel Obse rvatory;
b. Establish and/or develop a comprehensive desertification, land degradation and human
condition database component that incorporates both physical and socio -economic
parameters. This should be based on existing and, where necessary, additional fac ilities, such
as those of Earthwatch and other information systems of international, regional and national
institutions strengthened for this purpose;
c. Determine benchmarks and define indicators of progress that facilitate the work of local and
regional organizations in tracking progress in the fight for anti -desertification. Particular
attention should be paid to indicators of local participation.
Means of implementation
(a) Financing and cost evaluation
12.11. The Conference secretariat has estimated the ave rage total annual cost (1993 -2000) of implementing the activities of this programme to be about $350 million, including about $175 million from the international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and order-of-magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are non -concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.
(b) Scientific a nd technological means
12.12. Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of the relevant international and regional
organizations working on the issue of desertification and drought, should:
a. Undertake and update existing inventories of natural reso urces, such as energy, water, soil,
minerals, plant and animal access to food, as well as other resources, such as housing,
employment, health, education and demographic distribution in time and space;
b. Develop integrated information systems for environmen tal monitoring, accounting and impact
assessment;
c. International bodies should cooperate with national Governments to facilitate the acquisition
and development of appropriate technology for monitoring and combating drought and
desertification.
(c) Human resource development
12.13. Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of the relevant international and regional organizations working on the issue of desertification and drought, should develop the technical and professional skills of people engag ed in monitoring and assessing the issue of desertification and drought.
(d) Capacity-building
12.14. Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of the relevant international and regional
organizations working on the issue of desertification and d rought, should:
a. Strengthen national and local institutions by providing adequate staff equipment and finance
for assessing desertification;
b. Promote the involvement of the local population, particularly women and youth, in the
collection and utilization o f environmental information through education and awareness -
building.
B. Combating land degradation through, inter alia, intensified soil conservation, afforestation and reforestation activities
Basis for action
12.15. Desertification affects about 3.6 bill ion hectares, which is about 70 per cent of the total area of the world's drylands or nearly one quarter of the global land area. In combating desertification on rangeland, rainfed cropland and irrigated land, preventative measures should be launched in ar eas which are not yet affected or are only slightly affected by desertification; corrective measures should be implemented to sustain the productivity of moderately desertified land; and rehabilitative measures should be taken to recover severely or very s everely desertified drylands.
12.16. An increasing vegetation cover would promote and stabilize the hydrological balance in the dryland areas and maintain land quality and land productivity. Prevention of not yet degraded land and application of corrective meas ures and rehabilitation of moderate and severely degraded drylands, including areas affected by sand dune movements, through the introduction of environmentally sound, socially acceptable, fair and economically feasible land -use systems. This will enhance the land carrying capacity and maintenance of biotic resources in fragile ecosystems.
Objectives
12.17. The objectives of this programme area are:
a. As regards areas not yet affected or only slightly affected by desertification, to ensure
appropriate manageme nt of existing natural formations (including forests) for the
conservation of biodiversity, watershed protection, sustainability of their production and
agricultural development, and other purposes, with the full participation of indigenous
people;
b. To rehabilitate moderately to severely desertified drylands for productive utilization and
sustain their productivity for agropastoral/agroforestry development through, inter alia,
soil and water conservation;
c. To increase the vegetation cover and support manage ment of biotic resources in regions
affected or prone to desertification and drought, notably through such activities as
afforestation/reforestation, agroforestry, community forestry and vegetation retention
schemes;
d. To improve management of forest resour ces, including woodfuel, and to reduce woodfuel
consumption through more efficient utilization, conservation and the enhancement,
development and use of other sources of energy, including alternative sources of energy.
Activities
(a) Management-related activities
12.18. Governments at the appropriate level, and with the support of the relevant international and
regional organizations, should:
a. Implement urgent direct preventive measures in drylands that are vulnerable but not yet
affected, or only slightly de sertified drylands, by introducing (i) improved land -use
policies and practices for more sustainable land productivity; (ii) appropriate,
environmentally sound and economically feasible agricultural and pastoral technologies;
and (iii) improved management of soil and water resources;
b. Carry out accelerated afforestation and reforestation programmes, using drought -
resistant, fast-growing species, in particular native ones, including legumes and other
species, combined with community -based agroforestry scheme s. In this regard, creation
of large-scale reforestation and afforestation schemes, particularly through the
establishment of green belts, should be considered, bearing in mind the multiple benefits
of such measures;
c. Implement urgent direct corrective mea sures in moderately to severely desertified
drylands, in addition to the measures listed in paragraph 19 (a) above, with a view to
restoring and sustaining their productivity;
d. Promote improved land/water/crop -management systems, making it possible to comb at
salinization in existing irrigated croplands; and to stabilize rainfed croplands and
introduce improved soil/crop -management systems into land -use practice;
e. Promote participatory management of natural resources, including rangeland, to meet
both the needs of rural populations and conservation purposes, based on innovative or
adapted indigenous technologies;
f. Promote in situ protection and conservation of special ecological areas through
legislation and other means for the purpose of combating desertific ation while ensuring
the protection of biodiversity;
g. Promote and encourage investment in forestry development in drylands through various
incentives, including legislative measures;
h. Promote the development and use of sources of energy which will lessen p ressure on
ligneous resources, including alternative sources of energy and improved stoves.
(b) Data and information
12.19. Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of the relevant international and regional
organizations, should:
a. Develop land-use models based on local practices for the improvement of such practices,
with a focus on preventing land degradation. The models should give a better
understanding of the variety of natural and human -induced factors that may contribute to
desertification. Models should incorporate the interaction of both new and traditional
practices to prevent land degradation and reflect the resilience of the whole ecological
and social system;
b. Develop, test and introduce, with due regard to environmental security consi derations,
drought resistant, fast -growing and productive plant species appropriate to the
environment of the regions concerned.
(c) International and regional cooperation and coordination
12.20. The appropriate United Nations agencies, international and regio nal organizations, non -
governmental organizations and bilateral agencies should:
a. Coordinate their roles in combating land degradation and promoting reforestation,
agroforestry and land -management systems in affected countries;
b. Support regional and subreg ional activities in technology development and
dissemination, training and programme implementation to arrest dryland degradation.
12.21. The national Governments concerned, the appropriate United Nations agencies and bilateral
agencies should strengthen the coo rdinating role in dryland degradation of subregional
intergovernmental organizations set up to cover these activities, such as CILSS, IGADD, SADCC
and the Arab Maghreb Union.
Means of implementation
(a) Financing and cost evaluation
12.22. The Conference se cretariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993 -2000) of implementing the activities of this programme to be about $6 billion, including about $3 billion from the international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and order-of- magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are non -concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and programmes Governments decide upon for impleme ntation.
(b) Scientific and technological means
12.23. Governments at the appropriate level and local communities, with the support of the relevant
international and regional organizations, should:
a. Integrate indigenous knowledge related to forests, forest la nds, rangeland and natural
vegetation into research activities on desertification and drought;
b. Promote integrated research programmes on the protection, restoration and conservation
of water and land resources and land -use management based on traditional approaches,
where feasible.
(c) Human resource development
12.24. Governments at the appropriate level and local communities, with the support of the relevant
international and regional organizations, should:
a. Establish mechanisms to ensure that land users, pa rticularly women, are the main actors
in implementing improved land use, including agroforestry systems, in combating land
degradation;
b. Promote efficient extension -service facilities in areas prone to desertification and
drought, particularly for training farmers and pastoralists in the improved management of
land and water resources in drylands.
(d) Capacity-building
12.25. Governments at the appropriate level and local communities, with the support of the relevant
international and regional organizations, sh ould:
a.
Develop and adopt, through appropriate national legislation, and introduce institutionally,
new and environmentally sound development-oriented land-use policies;
b.
Support community-based people's organizations, especially farmers and pastoralists.
C. Developing and strengthening integrated development programmes for the eradication of poverty
and promotion of alternative livelihood systems in areas prone to desertification
Basis for action
12.26. In areas prone to desertification and drought, current livelihood and resource-use systems are not able to maintain living standards. In most of the arid and semi-arid areas, the traditional livelihood systems based on agropastoral systems are often inadequate and unsustainable, particularly in view of the effects of drought and increasing demographic pressure. Poverty is a major factor in accelerating the rate of degradation and desertification. Action is therefore needed to rehabilitate and improve the agropastoral systems for sustainable management of rangelands, as well as alternative livelihood systems.
Objectives
12.27.
The objectives of this programme area are:
a.
To create the capacity of village communities and pastoral groups to take charge of their
development and the management of their land resources on a socially equitable and
ecologically sound basis;
b.
To improve production systems in order to achieve greater productivity within approved
programmes for conservation of national resources and in the framework of an integrated
approach to rural development;
c.
To provide opportunities for alternative livelihoods as a basis for reducing pressure on
land resources while at the same time providing additional sources of income,
particularly for rural populations, thereby improving their standard of living.
Activi ties
(a) Management-related activities
12.28.
Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of the relevant international and regional
organizations, should:
a.
Adopt policies at the national level regarding a decentralized approach to land-resource
management, delegating responsibility to rural organizations;
b.
Create or strengthen rural organizations in charge of village and pastoral land
management;
c.
Establish and develop local, national and intersectoral mechanisms to handle
environmental and develop mental consequences of land tenure expressed in terms of land
use and land ownership. Particular attention should be given to protecting the property
rights of women and pastoral and nomadic groups living in rural areas;
d.
Create or strengthen village associations focused on economic activities of common
pastoral interest (market gardening, transformation of agricultural products, livestock,
herding, etc.);
e.
Promote rural credit and mobilization of rural savings through the establishment of rural
banking systems;