Desire for Greener Land

1.4 Conclusions and policy points
This book has discussed and evaluated strategies for
Sustainable Land Management (SLM) that were developed
and tested, with the aim to combat degradation and
desertification, in 17 dryland areas in different parts of the
world. The work and associated outcomes have been taken
from a large research project involving scientists, land users,
local communities and NGOs. The project developed a new
approach (the DESIRE approach) for stakeholder – science
collaboration in SLM projects and programmes. The DESIRE
approach is founded on WOCAT methodology and tools,
which have been under continuous development since their
initiation in the 1990s, and have shown to foster successful
implementations of SLM strategies in many places in the
world 1 .
The embedding of WOCAT methods and tools in the DESIRE
approach was demonstrated to be of particular value for the
identification, assessment and negotiation of SLM technologies
and approaches in the DESIRE study sites, despite the
large differences in their biophysical and socio-economic
contexts.
Through the DESIRE project, 38 case studies were investigated;
30 for SLM technologies and 8 for SLM approaches.
These case studies spanned a wide range of countries and
covered a wide variety of bio-physical and socio-economic
conditions. As a result, they provided valuable practical data
that can be used to extract a wealth of generic recommendations
and policy points. Some of these points are new, while
others provide a confirmation of earlier case studies, such as
those presented in previous WOCAT book ‘where the land is
greener’ (WOCAT, 2007) and ‘Sustainable Land Management
in Practice: Guidelines and Best Practices for Sub-Saharan
Africa’ 2 .
This chapter provides a summary of the DESIRE approach
(chapter 1.1) and the project results (chapters 1.2 and 1.3). It
aims to describe important issues and practicalities that have
to be considered for a successful implementation of SLM
projects. In conclusion, it summarises a number of important
policy points.
Conclusions and policy points DESIRE – WOCAT 2012
Morocco, Gudrun Schwilch
The DESIRE approach to remediation
In a nutshell the DESIRE approach consists of 5 steps:
1. Establishing land degradation and SLM context and sustainability
goals. This includes the description and mapping
of the site, outlining the particular desertification
problems, using indicator sets and the tool developed in
DESIRE to make an ex-ante assessment of desertification
risk, and finally stakeholder analysis, along with formulating
the sustainability goals of all stakeholders involved.
2. Identifying, evaluating and selecting SLM strategies.
This involves the identification, assessment and selection
of SLM options in a participatory process, which brings
together researchers and other stakeholders.
3. Trialling and monitoring SLM strategies, which entails
implementing and monitoring SLM technologies in field
trials.
4. Up-scaling SLM strategies. This involves the regional modelling
of biophysical and socio-economic effects of SLM
strategies.
5. Disseminating the information, which refers to the communication
and dissemination to stakeholders and relevant
policy arena.
The DESIRE approach can be effectively implemented by any
project or programme that aims to combat land degradation.
However, for the DESIRE process to be successfully
applied, there are four key requirements:
1. An integrated multi-disciplinary approach,
2. Close collaboration between scientists and stakeholders,
3. A sound scientific basis, for example through field experimentation
and state of the art modelling, and finally,
4. A continuous dissemination and communication process
aimed at stakeholders and policy makers that is initiated
right from the start.
These four key factors are discussed in detail below:
1. Integrated multi-disciplinary approach
Desertification, being a complex problem, requires an
integrated approach, in which various disciplines are
involved. This integration is necessary so that a full site
specific understanding of bio-physical, as well as socioeconomic,
issues can be obtained before measures are
1 WOCAT. 2007. Where the land is greener – case studies and analysis of
soil and water conservation initiatives worldwide. Eds: Hanspeter Liniger
and William Critchley. CTA, FAO, UNEP and CDE, Berne, Switzerland.
2 Liniger H.P., Mekdaschi Studer R., Hauert C. and Gurtner M. 2011.
Sustainable Land Management in Practice – Guidelines and Best
Practices for Sub-Saharan Africa. TerrAfrica, World Overview of
Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT) and Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
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