Fourth Special Session of the Committee on Science and Technology (CST S-4) and
UNCCD 3rd Scientific Conference

On Wednesday, 11 March 2015, the UNCCD 3rd Scientific Conference considered the topic of “Monitoring and Assessment: How to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Adaptation Interventions” during the morning. Tao Wang, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and SAC/SPI Member, chaired the discussion of this topic, which involved a keynote address by Elena Maria Abraham, Director, Argentine Dryland Research Institute (IADIZA), and five parallel workshops. Abraham said the objective is to assess the adaptive capacities and resilience of affected ecosystems. Stressing that no single tool, indicator or analytical model can reliably measure the complexity of links between climate change and land degradation, she noted the importance of integrating outcome-oriented methodologies with context-oriented methodologies through knowledge co-production processes. The workshops addressed: indicators; remote-sensing and mapping; drought, water, hydrology; sustainable land management/land degradation neutrality; and processes of degradation.

CST Chair Uriel Safriel chaired an afternoon session during which three speakers discussed linkages and the possibilities for synergies with other multilateral environmental agreement processes. Graham Von Maltitz, Researcher, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa, via skype, provided an overview of the progress on the proposed land degradation and restoration assessment to be undertaken by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Tomasz Chruszczow, Chair, Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA), UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), discussed the institutional structure for addressing climate change and noted entry points for synergies with the UNCCD. Graciela Metternicht, Director, Institute of Environmental Studies, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia, discussed some governance, research and operational “imperatives” for improved synergies among the Rio Conventions. Also on Wednesday, six side events convened.