Desertification, in the words of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, is one of the world’s most alarming processes of environmental degradation. The issue is often obscured, however, by a common misperception: that it’s a natural problem of advancing deserts in faraway developing countries.

In fact, Desertification is about land degradation: the loss of the land’s biological productivity, caused by human-induced factors and climate change. It affects one third of the earth’s surface and over a billion people. Moreover, it has potentially devastating consequences in terms of social and economic costs.
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Events this month Film Festival
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International Conference

Deserts and Desertification - Challenges and Opportunities, Sdeh Boker, Israel, 6-9 November 2006 more...

Major Photo Exhibition
The Beauty of DESERTS - The Challenge of DESERTIFICATION, United Nations Headquarters, New York, 30 October - 30 November 2006  more...
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International Symposium

International Symposium on Desertification and Migrations 25-27 October , Almeria (Spain) more...

E-Learning Course

Desertification- A Global Challenge for Global Action  more...

Science Dossier

SciDev.Net launches a desert science dossier on drylands and desertification more...

2006 Sasakawa Prize

Dedicated to the theme of 'Deserts and Desertification', this year's winners announced more...

An international film festival sponsored by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the patronage of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage will take place from 1 to 7 December in Rome, Italy.

Entitled 'Desert Nights', the films will portray real-life stories of people and communities in the drylands, and will be part of a competition to find the best fiction films from countries affected by Desertification within the five regions of the convention: Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Northern Mediterranean, and Central and Eastern Europe.

The festival will conclude with a ceremony and gala soiree attended by representatives of international authorities, film directors and other well-known personalities in the world of arts and culture.   


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