Land Degradation and Desertification

Last Modified: 01/11/2007

The Working Group on Land Degradation and Desertification of the International Union of Soil Sciences

AGENDA 21 of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development emphasizes the need and proposes a wide range of activities to address land degradation in general and desertification in particular. As a response to this challenge, more than 100 countries have signed the Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD) in 1997. A key point of the CCD deals with scientific and technical cooperation on investigation, collection, evaluation of the processes and factors involved in land degradation leading to desertification. At the conclusion of the Conference on Land Degradation at Adana, an International Task Force on Land Degradation, to be formed under the auspices of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS), was proposed and unanimously adopted.

Plato: Attica (Athens) was no longer cultivated by true herdsmen, who made husbandry their business, and were lovers of honor, and of a noble nature. As a result Attica had become deforested, the soils depleted, and there are remaining only the bones of the wasted body –all the richer and softer parts of the soil having fallen away.

Learn more about land degradation

Our Vision

Cooperation Among the International Community of Environmental Scientists in Understanding and Solving Land Degradation.

Land Degradation News and Views

• 1999 Conference Report
• Technical Papers Index
  
  
• Newsletter August, 1998
• Newsletter September, 1997
• Newsletter February, 1997

For information and contributions to the newsletter, contact managing editor: Mr. Erhan Akça, Department of Soil Science, University of Çukurova, 01330 Balcali, Adana, TURKEY, Fax: + 90 322 338 66 43, E-mail: ldc@pamuk.cc.cu.edu.tr.

Committee Directory

Professional Organizations

• International Union of Soil Sciences, IUSS
• American Society of Agronomy, ASA, CSSA, SSSA, ASF
• International Geographical Union, IGU

Land Degradation Links

• International Institute for Environment and Development
  Drylands Programme
• Climate Prediction Center and Famine Early Warning System
  From the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
• Africa Data Dissemination Service
  From the U.S. Agency for International Development
• U.S. Agency for International Development Regions & Countries
  Regional information.
• Multimedia collections on Desertification
  From the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
• Institut françis de Recherche Sientifique pour le Développment en Coopération
  ORSTOM Senegal
• East Africa - Greater Horn Information Exchange
  From the U.S. Agency for International Development
• Global Environment Outlook Data Portal
  From the United Nations Environment Program
• Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Research Centers
• International Soil Reference and Information Centre
  World Data Center-C, WDC-C, for Soils.
• Consortium for International Earth Science Information Network
  World Data Center-A, WDC-A, for Human Interactions in the Environment.
• United Nations Secretariat of the Convention to Combat Desertification
• Natural Resources Research Information
  Global resource links

Questions or Comments

Thanks for visiting the International Land Degradation and Desertification Website. We welcome questions or comments regarding this web page, contact the webmaster, paul.reich@wdc.usda.gov.

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