ENB:04:11
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FAO:
Wim G. Sombroek, Director of FAO's Land and Water
Development Division, gave a historical background of the term
"desertification," identifying bio-climatic aridity based on
evaporation and evapo-transpiration, as well as length of growing
periods. He then identified arid, hyper-arid, semi-arid and humid
areas, and cited the components of land degradation that
encompass the degradation of human settlements and
infrastructure. He spoke about a study carried out by FAO, the
Global Assessment of Soil Degradation (GLASOD), which was aimed
at generating factual information on the severity of land
degradation. He described two types of degradation: degraded land
that can be rehabilitated through the reduction of resource use,
and destruction that is barely recoverable and can only be
redeemed through structural changes.
El Hadji M. Sene of the Forest Resource Division addressed
rangeland degradation and cited its main causes. He emphasized
that rehabilitation of such lands requires sound ecological and
integrated management of natural resources, supported by adapted
technology, economic planning, legal and financial measures, as
well as improved institutions. He also underlined the role of the
people's participation in these programmes. He concluded that
combatting desertification requires a holistic approach that
includes agriculture, efficient use of land and its natural
resources, political will, regional and international
conventions, appropriate legislation, and proper education.