Sustainable Use of Natural Resources of Dryland Regions in Controlling of Environmental Degradation and Desertification

Abstract

One-half of the world's countries have portions or all of their land areas in hyper-arid, arid, or semi-arid climatological zones. These lands together with their sub-humid margins and savannas cover nearly 45 million square kilometers or approximately 30 percent of the earth's land surface. These lands collectively comprise the dryland regions of the world where severe ecological degradation and desertification is occurring at alarming rates and threatening the livelihoods of over 900 million inhabitants (Middleton & Thomas, 1997; Mainguet, 1999; Altschul 2008). Applications of carefully planned land-use practices can often halt and eventually reverse the processes of environmental degradation and desertification on these landscapes. Importantly, the formulation and application of these interventions must be based on sound technical knowledge, the interrelationships of human, ecological, and socio-economic factors, and responsive policy options. One problem, however, is that many planners, managers, and policy-makers have often considered the drylands regions as wastelands and, therefore, do not appreciate their critical environmental role and potential contributions to the welfare of people.