Between May 1993 and 17th June, 1994 I have participated, as the scientific adviser of the Belgian governmental delegation, at all the meetings of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on the Desertification Convention (INCD/CIND). International drylands experts and representatives from governments and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) from around the world held 5 negotiation sessions and finally agreed upon the text of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
Scientists of the INCD played an important role in the fine-tuning of the Convention text. I remember, between many other subjects, the interesting discussions on the formulation of the ‘desertification definition’.
One can find a good description of the problem to agree upon that definition in the ‘Policy Briefs’ at
http://www.scidev.net/en/policy-briefs/the-un-convention-to-combat-desertification.html
“Defining ‘desertification’
Defining desertification is controversial — the scientific literature holds more than a hundred different definitions. [2]
Most people credit the French scientist Andre Aubréville with coining the term in 1949. [3] He was referring to the human-induced degradation that transformed the African savannah into desert. But later definitions have varied in their emphasis on human and natural climatic causes. And some people use ‘desertification’ to describe the process of environmental change, as well as its end result. Most agree that it is irreversible.
The lack of agreement is problematic for scientists and policymakers alike, who both tend to stress perspectives to serve their own interests. For example, environmental scientists often focus on lost biological productivity, caused by physical, chemical and biological changes in the soil, whereas economists emphasise lost economic potential. Others define desertification as a combination of both. Some want the term to apply only in dryland environments. [4] Others question whether irreversibility should be part of the definition. [5]
The UNCCD adopts what it sees as the middle ground, defining desertification as “land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities”. The UNCCD believes that this hybrid definition lets governments argue desertification is a natural phenomenon, exacerbated by human activities.”
Taking into account that most of the countries have ratified the UNCCD, I believe that all these member countries should also adopt the UNCCD’s definition :
“Land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities”.
If this is really the case, it signifies that they accept that “desertification is land degradation …”.
For this reason my logic tells me that it has no sense at all to use “desertification and land degradation” in titles and texts. Nevertheless, that is what I find at several occasions when following the literature about desertification.
Any comments ?
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DESERTIFICATION 