UNEP Programme on Success Stories in Land Degradation

UNEP Programme on Success Stories in Land Degradation/ Desertification Control

The Background

For more than 20 years, UNEP has been actively involved in worldwide efforts to combat dryland degradation. Although desertification still remains a major environmental problem, impeding dryland development, there are also many projects and community-based initiatives which have successfully addressed these problems. These successes need to be better publicized to show that land degradation/ desertification can be controlled, and positive experiences can be replicated. The main criteria for a success story requires that activities directly and substantially contribute to the prevention of dryland degradation or to the reclamation of degraded land, using appropriate resources in a cost-effective manner. A success story addresses not only the biophysical but also the socio-cultural-economic issues in all its developmental stages, thus ensuring long-term sustainability.

With this in mind UNEP decided to solicit through direct contact, newsletters, relevant journals and magazines, reports on desertification control activities considered successful by implementing organizations, NGOs or communities. More than one hundred submissions from Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean have been received since 1994.

More than 30 projects have been evaluated on-site since the initiation of this programme. 25 of these have received the "Saving the Dry lands" certificate award and had an opportunity to exhibit these successes at UNEP sponsored conferences. UNEP continues to encourage the submission of case studies which outline promising practices, as well as lessons which can be replicated elsewhere under similar environmental and socio-economic conditions.

All the reports received were screened against the criteria and indicators shown below and a short-list of projects with the highest potential to be ‘real’ success stories was established. Subject to the availbility of funds, 23 projects from this ‘short-list’ have been evaluated by teams of independent experts and 16 have met the criteria set. They received the UNEP "Saving the Drylands" award in recognition of their achievements.

Recognizing the merit of this UNEP initiative, IFAD, which has invested substantially in projects focusing on local development and capacity building in dry land areas, collaborated with UNEP and co-financed the 1997 programme to facilitate the on-site evaluation of further projects..

The programme to define and publicize success stories in desertification control, seeks above all, to raise global awareness that land degradation in the drylands can be both prevented and corrected. It will also build community responsibility for the local environment and confidence in local abilities to solve land management problems. It is hoped that the recognition of success conveyed through the "Saving the Drylands" award will spur local communities to further action and encourage the replication of promising approaches.

The following pages provide summaries of eighteen award-winning success stories. More elaborate and descriptive brochures are currently under preparation and will be available to anyone interested in the methodological and practical approaches and of course those dedicated to address the problems of sustainable dryland management.