Not only has soil degradation in Niger been halted thanks to an integrated approach combining water harvesting technologies, the application of organic residues and planting of fruit trees and vegetables. The strategy has also enabled increases in farmers’ income as well as an active involvement of the country’s largely marginalised women in food production through their gaining access to land.

Rangelands cover 30 per cent of the global land surface. They support a considerable share of the global ruminant value chains, are habitat for a high plant and animal diversity and have various ecological, economic and social functions. But rangelands are currently under pressure from global change processes. A focus on humananimal- environment interactions is necessary to avoid resource overexploitation and degradation.

Since 2006, a European Union-wide strategy on soil conservation has been in existence that is to address the complex roles that soil plays as a natural resource. However, a legally binding agreement has so far met with opposition by a blocking minority of EU Member States. Does the EU nevertheless offer prospects for soil conservation?

With more than 900 million people world-wide affected by chronic hunger, international action on soil conservation is urgently required. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) enjoys substantial support, and the author of this article demonstrates that it could play a key role as a global policy and monitoring framework in addressing land and soil degradation.

There is growing degradation in sylvo-pastoral lands that were originally under common property regimes, but over which the state now asserts ownership. User associations are being given the right to take charge of regulating how these areas are sustainably exploited by means of use agreements, and are proving an effective instrument in halting the degradation process.

Dans les pays en développement, l'élevage représente plus d'un tiers du produit intérieur agricole brut ; la croissance et la transformation rapides du secteur de l'élevage dans de grandes régions de la planète ont débouché sur une amélioration des revenus et de la situation alimentaire d?un grand nombre de personnes. Cette « révolution de l'élevage » a cependant largement négligé les producteurs pauvres ; elle a, en outre, accru le risque de zoonoses et été à l'origine de dégradations environnementales.

La herramienta de mapeo (o cartográfica) del WOCAT/LADA se basa en el cuestionario de mapeo original del WOCAT (WOCAT, 2007). Este ha sido ampliado para prestar más atención a cuestiones como la degradación biológica e hídrica y hacer más hincapié en las causas directas y socioeconómicas de esos fenómenos, incluyendo los impactos sobre los servicios ecosistémicos. Se evalúa el tipo de degradación de la tierra que esta ocurriendo actualmente, dónde y por qué ocurre y qué se hace al respecto en términos de Manejo Sustentable de Tierras (SLM), bajo la forma de un cuestionario.

En 2016, Action contre la désertification se prépare à restaurer 10 000 hectares de terres et à planter des espèces d'arbres, d'arbustes et de graminées locales et bien adaptées localement dans six pays africains - le Burkina Faso, l'Éthiopie, la Gambie, le Niger, le Nigeria et le Sénégal.

La pérdida de bosques contribuye a un sexto de las emisiones anuales de gases de efecto invernadero que son la causa principal del cambio climático. La experiencia nos enseña que la implementación conjunta de enfoques de reducción de la deforestación y de la degradación forestal y de consolidación de la gobernanza forestal –como la Reducción de las emisiones debidas a la deforestación y a la degradación forestal (REDD+) y la Aplicación de leyes, gobernanza y comercio forestales (FLEGT)– puede ser mucho más eficaz para contrarrestar la pérdida de bosques.

Shifting cultivation, under its diverse forms of slash and burn system, is a traditional method of cultivating tropical upland soils, mostly for subsistence purposes. This traditional system of cultivation is in ecological balance with the environment and does not irreversibly degrade the soil resource, provided a sufficient length of fallow is allowed for soil restoration. However, increasing population pressures necessitate more intensive use of land. The consequence is extended cropping periods and shortened fallows.

On the occasion of the International Year of Mountains-2002, FAO and its partners undertook a large-scale assessment and global review of the current status and future trends of integrated and participatory watershed management. The overall objectives were to promote the exchange and dissemination of experiences in implementing watershed management projects in the decade from 1990 to 2000 and to identify the vision for a new generation of watershed management programmes and projects.

Meeting Name: North American Forest Commission
Meeting symbol/code: FO:NAFC/2016/8
Session: Sess. 28