Ce livre constitue un ensemble d’informations de base sur la désertification, la dégradation des terres et la sécheresse à l’échelle mondiale, accompagnées d’une série de graphiques. Celui-ci présente les évolutions ayant eu lieu au cours des dernières décennies, en associant les questions et les priorités actuelles.

Este libro tiene como objetivo ser un manual informativo en el que se cuenta “la historia” de la desertificación, la degradación de las tierras y la sequía a escala global acompañado por una completa serie de gráficos. Este libro muestra tendencias que han tenido lugar a lo largo de las últimas décadas, combinando y conectando temas y presentando prioridades.

This book is intended as a basic information kit that tells “the story” of desertification, land degradation and drought at the global scale, together with a comprehensive set of graphics. The book indicates trends as they have taken place over the last decades, combining and connecting issues, and present priorities.

This book is intended as a basic information kit that tells “the story” of desertification, land degradation and drought at the global scale, together with a comprehensive set of graphics. The book indicates trends as they have taken place over the last decades, combining and connecting issues, and present priorities.

We can no longer turn a blind eye to urgent sustainable development challenges such as climate change, the food crisis, disappearing biodiversity and the depletion of natural resources. A way to rise to these challenges is through Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). ESD is a dynamic concept that aims to enable people of all ages and from all walks of life to pursue and benefit from a sustainable future.

The earth’s climate is changing at a rate unprecedented in recent human history and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The impacts and risks associated with this are global, geographically diverse and increasingly being felt across a range of systems and sectors essential for human livelihoods and well-being. The more severe and far-reaching the impacts of climate change are, the greater the loss of species will be, and the greater the deterioration of drylands and the risk of desertification and land degradation around the world will be.

The importance of forests in climate change, biodiversity and desertification/land degradation

Forests cover approximately 30 per cent of the Earth’s land surface and provide important ecosystem goods and services, including food, fodder, water, shelter, nutrient cycling, air purification, and cultural and recreational amenities. Forests also store carbon, provide habitat for a wide range of species and help alleviate land degradation and desertification.

Dryland biodiversity is of tremendous global importance, being central to the well-being and development of millions of people in developing countries. In June 2012, at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (or “Rio+20”), global leaders from governments and civil society reaffirmed the intrinsic value of biological diversity and recognised the severity of global biodiversity loss and degradation of ecosystems. Although drylands were implicitly recognised, there continues to be inadequate attention to this major biome that covers such a vast part of our world’s terrestrial surface.

The challenges and threats of water scarcity to dryland populations are set to increase in magnitude and scope. As the world’s population has swollen to well over 6 billion people, some countries have already reached the limits of their water resources. With the existing climate change scenario, almost half the world’s population will be living in areas of high water stress by 2030, including between 75 million and 250 million people in Africa. In addition, water scarcity in some arid and semi-arid places will displace between 24 million and 700 million people (WWDR 2009).

Les enjeux et menaces que représente le manque d'eau pour les populations des zones arides sont voués à prendre de l'ampleur. Alors que la population mondiale a dépassé 6 milliards d'individus, quelques pays ont déjà atteint les limites de leurs réserves d'eau. En considérant le scénario actuel de changement climatique, on estime que quasiment la moitié de la population mondiale vivra en zone de fort déficit hydrique d'ici 2030, dont 75 à 250 millions de personnes sur le continent africain.

Los desafíos y retos que supone la escasez de agua para las poblaciones de las tierras secas se van a ver incrementados tanto en magnitud como en alcance. Dado que la población mundial es ya superior a los 6.000 millones de personas, algunos países han superado los límites de sus recursos acuíferos. Con el escenario actual de cambio climático, casi la mitad de la población mundial habitará áreas con grandes problemas de agua antes del 2030, lo que incluye a una población de entre 75 y 250 millones de personas en África.

The range of measures often emphasized in gendered efforts to reverse desertification and land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought (DLDD) include improving the participation of women in decision-making, building the capacity of women’s organizations, eliminating illiteracy among women, minimizing the heavy workload on women and eliminating gender disparities in employment and in the access to and ownership of resources. This fact sheet draws attention to the complex and evolving nature of gender issues pertaining to drylands women.