The Northern America regional Launch of the United Nations Decade for Deserts and the Fight against Desertification (2010-2020) was held on 11-12 November 2010 at Colorado State University (CSU) in Fort Collins and the State Legislature, in Denver, Colorado, United States.
Luc Gnacadja, Executive
Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
(UNCCD), and several university officials were joined by the media,
scientists and students from North America for the launch of the
Decade in the region. The event consisted of a seminar and signing
ceremony of Decade’s Record of the Launch that include a letter of
intent to work closely with the UNCCD, a press conference, and, on
12 November, a meet-and-greet event with Colorado’s Governor Bill
Ritter, in Denver.
Among the guest speakers were Dr Tony Frank, President, Colorado State University, Dr Thomas Reinsch, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Ms Shannon Horst, Chief Executive Officer, Savory Institute, and Mr Jurgen Hoth, World Wildlife Fund, Mexico. Focused on the North American Region, the presentations and discussion emphasized the role of science in efforts to combat desertification.
"The strength of the U.S. interdisciplinary approach is very important, and it is not universal. Evident in the universities is the linking of the biophysical systems through social sciences. And a real strength is in data systems. Capacity building as part of research is useful, and extension services in the United States may be a model that could work elsewhere. University communities are the nexus between research and policy," Luc Gnacadja said.
According to the Northern Colorado Business Report, Governor Ritter said "Colorado has had to address the issues surrounding land degradation, including soil erosion, water conservation and drought management."
Tony Frank, President of CSU observed that "just as there is no single cause of desertification, there will be no single solution to this pervasive world issue. Combating desertification will require a vast collaborative effort, pulling research and discovery from a spectrum of disciplines to better understand its causes.”
Shannon Horst, Chief Executive Officer of the
Savory Institute, in New Mexico, presented practical examples of
combating desertification in her topic titled,
‘Livestock
Management: The keys to reversing desertification' . She
explained the philosophy underlying the holistic management approach
that is built on two perspectives. First, the history of a symbiotic
relationship between livestock and wildlife pointing to the fact
that “grasslands of the world co-evolved with grazing animals and
the pack-hunting predator,” an approach that can be revived to
effectively tackle land degradation in such areas. Second, a linear
approach to decision making that works in building technology but is
destructive to ecosystems that work as wholes.
Jürgen Hoth, WWF-Mexico, presented on the
topic,
‘Desertification in Mexico and Responses in the Chihuahua Desert'
. Mr Hoth presented on the understanding of desertification in
Mexico, discussed about the status of desertification in the
country, especially the Chihuahuan Desert, ongoing national and
international responses and key opportunities for the UN Convention
to Combat Desertification. In comparing the three sister Rio
conventions on biological diversity, climate change and
desertification, Mr Hoth observed that the Desertification
Convention had received marginal attention globally due to its weak
scientific basis, institutional weaknesses that include difficulties
in reaching consensus among the parties, insufficient advocacy and
awareness among its constituencies as well as insufficient
financing.
According to a publication of the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations titled Drylands,
people and land use, 5,896 km2 of North America is degraded,
representing about 28% of the land area. Within the U.S., 17 western
states, including Colorado, are classified as arid, semi-arid, and
dry sub-humid areas. According to its 2006
National Report, “desertification has historically been a
problem and remains a concern across a large portion of the western
United States.” Canada’s 2006
National Report states that “Canada is an affected country, due
to the fact that desertification affects the three Prairie
Provinces.” WWF’s Hoth reported that 72% of the land in Mexico is
degraded, with 48% of attributed to human activity and 24% to
natural causes.
This regional launch of the Decade in North America follows three
similar launches including that in Latin America – also the global
event – held in Fortaleza, Brazil, on 16 August 2010. The launch for
the African Region was held in Nairobi, Kenya, on the same date,
while that for the Asia-Pacific Region was held in Seoul, Republic
of Korea, on 12 October 2010. The launch in Europe is scheduled to
take place 16 December in London.
The United Nations Decade for Deserts and the Fight Against Desertification (UNDDD) runs from 2010 to 2020 as declared by United Nations General Assembly’s resolution A/RES/62/195 of 2007. In the declaration, the Assembly acknowledges the persistence of desertification, despite past and on-going global efforts, and a slow response to poverty eradication among drylands populations. The Decade is a period for concerted global action.
All actors are called upon to raise awareness about desertification, land degradation and drought and their solutions during this period. The Decade campaign is also designed to reinforce the implementation of the ten-year strategy for 2008-2018 of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. The UN Secretary-General will submit the first progress report on the achievements of the decade during the 69th session of UN General Assembly.
For more
information, contact the Inter-Agency Task Force through:
Wagaki Mwangi
Public Information and Media Officer
UNCCD
Email: arce@unccd.int
Tel: +49-(0)228- 815 2820
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