COMMUNICATING DESIRE SCIENCE TO POLICY MAKERS

AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS

Dr. Nichola GeesonDr. Jane Brandt

MEDES Observatory for economic problems associated with desertification in Mediterranean areas,

Potenza, Italy

F. Van H

ulst

N. G

eeson

Beans and maize in Cape Verde

Cauquennes, Chile

Karapinar, Turkey

People who work on the land, or

anyone who makes decisions on how the land can be

used in a sustainable way,

need a sound basis for their actions

C. K

osmas

Novy, Russia

A. Zeiliguer

Novy, Russia

Calculation of desertification risk under olives

Scientific research built up over the last 20 years can add to traditional

knowledge, - to provide a wealth of practical experience to guide such

decisions

But what are the best ways of sharing practical, sustainable and new ideas?

M. O

uessar

A. Zeiliguer

A. Laouina

Stakeholders are more confident to promote or try new ideas if they see evidence of success

demonstrated in scientific experiments

A newsletter published by the DESIRE project - a project funded by the European Union’s 6th Framework Program ‘Global Change and Ecosystems’

Newsletter

DESIRE reports on a third year of progress

The main objective of theDESIRE Project is to work withland users and other stake-holders, finding new ways totackle desertification and pro-mote sustainable land mana-gement practices. Using a seriesof questions and discussions atworkshops, scientist and stake-holders have been working to-gether to suggest optimum solu-tions for local areas. Now, theyare trying the strategies out, tosee if good ideas in theory arealsogoodideasinpractice.Last year scientists and stakeholderscompleted the process of selectingsustainable land management strategiesin the 16 DESIRE study sites. They allused the same procedure developed byWOCAT (World Overview of Conser-vation Approaches and Technologies).This meant that the strategies they chosewould have a sound scientific andpractical basis. At the first workshopscientists and stakeholders learnedtogether about water and biomass

cycles, local conditions, and the choiceof strategies available to suit the localcontext. Standardised questionnaireswere used for appraisal and evaluation.Then through a second workshop theWOCAT technologies database and anon-line decision support tool providedan output of the most promisingtechnologies.

Promising ideasEach study site arrived at a list of twoor more measures to try out. Althoughthe technologies themselves may not benew, the innovation is in matching thetechnology to the local context. Oncropland the strategies includedminimum tillage, terraces, drip irriga-tion, mulching, vegetation strips, waterharvesting and gully treatment. Allthese approaches concentrate on makingthe most of a scarce water resource andprotecting the soil surface from erosionby water and wind. On rangeland thismight be achieved by less intensivegrazing schemes and planting of suitableshrubs. Details of the WOCAT systemcan be seen on the HarmonisedInformation System on the DESIREwebsite:http://tinyurl.com/yzpsw2bA summary of the strategies being

trialled in DESIRE is given on page 3.

MonitoringWith the strategies chosen, the emphasisis now on establishing trials and fieldexperiments, and monitoring to see howsuccessful the measures will be. Everystudy site has completed a detailed SiteImplementation Plan. At the recent ple-nary meeting in Morocco, project part-ners prepared posters to illustrate theirstrategy testing in each study site, andthese can be viewed in the HarmonisedInformation System on the DESIREwebsite at http://tinyurl.com/cx47u

Many of the study sites are monitoringphysical variables such as meteoro-logical data, soil moisture, soil waterquality, erosion by water or wind. Thesemeasurements will help to provideevidence of the effects of differenttreatments and practices. At the end ofthe first growing season, the success ofthe harvests under different treatmentsgive a preview of the likely success ofthe complete strategy. For example, inSpain, water harvesting for cereals anduse of a green manure in almondorchards are workingwell.

Study sites are busy combating desertification with new strategies, - so how is it going?

In this issue:News from the

plenary meeting in Morocco

Selecting strategies

A publication from the DESIRE project - funded by the European Union’s 6th Framework Program ‘Global Change and Ecosystems’ Newsletter 3

2010 - 2

Scientists and stakeholders learn to listen to one another

How shoul d sci enti sts approac h al l thestakeholders that can contribute to ensuring thatthe research has practical uses? How can theinterest of the stakeholders be maintained?

By stakeholders we mean everyone who has aninterest: from farmers to national policy makers,from schoolchildren to the UNCCD. The DESIREProject has included a series of stakeholderworkshops in all study sites. This has allowed fulldiscussion of ideas to combat land degradationand desertification, many of which are now

being trialed on experimental plots. Localstakeholders are involved in monitoring the trialswhere possible, and all stakeholders will beinvited to consider the evaluation of success,and contribute to future recommendations.

The most rewarding workshops are where thereis full support for seeking sustainable optionsfrom a wide range of people. It is important totry and include a range of ages and standards ofeducation, and as many women as men.

Knowledge exchange is the

key to sustainable action

1

Overgrazing can result in desertification in Tunisia

The DESIRE project (2007-2011) is funded by the European Commission, VI Framework Program, ‘Global Change and Ecosystems’ and brings together the expertise of 26 international research institutes and non -governmental organisations (NGOs). This project is implemented by ALTERRA - research institute for the green living environment in the Netherlands.

Copyright and Disclaimer: www.desire-project.eu/disclaimer

Contact DESIRE coordinator: Coen.Ritsema@wur.nl

Contact DESIRE Communications: ngproject3@googlemail.com

The opinions expressed in this newsletter and on the website are those of the DESIRE project consortium and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission.

Each page is from a DESIRE study site partner: University of Aveiro, Portugal (Mação site);Democritus University of Thrace, Greece (Nestos river basin); University of Botswana (Boteti site); L'Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD), France (Cointzio site, Mexico); Instituto de InvestigacionesAgropecurarias (INIA), Chile (Secano interior)

Edited by Nichola Geeson, July 2010For more information and contact details see:• The DESIRE Harmonised Information System: www.desire-his.eu and DESIRE website: www.desire-project.eu

© IRD, Prat, C.

A publication from the DESIRE project - funded by the European Union’s 6th Framework Program ‘Global Change and Ecosystems’ Info-brief 2

2010 - 2

Sustainable Land Management enhances our living soilsWe rely on land based ecosystems toprovide important benefits for humanlivelihoods such as: our food, fodderfor animals, construction materials,climate regulation and clean water. Toachieve this provision sustainably, it is importantto promote a balance between activities such asagricultural production, and respect for natureand the environment. The EU’s legal frameworkfor Rural development 2007-2013 emphasises theneed for better integration of agricultural andenvironmental policies.

The DESIRE Project (www.desire-his.eu) isextending this approach to a number of regionsaround the world, with a range of land usesaffected by desertification. An important benefitof sustainable land use is the maintenance orimprovement of biodiversity. New initiatives suchas the EU’s Biodiversity Information System forEurope will help improve the integration of

coherent land use policies and synergies aroundthe world.

Land degradation in dryland areas dramaticallyaffects the biological diversity of landbasedecosystems. This is because of the effects on plantorganic matter, plant roots, and organisms in thesoil: like termites, moles and earthworms, fungiand bacteria. This living system below the grounddetermines the biological diversity of land abovethe ground, and ultimately land productivity andother benefits that land provides.

The synergies between soil biodiversity andsustainable land management mean that anyaction that conserves water and improves soilquality will also enhance soil habitats. The DESIREProject is developing strategies to remediate landdegradation in dryland areas. The followingexamples demonstrate how these strategiesmaintain or enhance soil biodiversity.

The DESIRE Project shows

how this can be achieved

1

Regular resting of rangeland allows vegetation and soils to

recover from grazing

In Médenine, Tunisia areas of rangeland leftwithout grazing for 3-5 years improve the plantcover and diversity for the next period of grazing.This helps to avoid land degradation from over-grazing. An increase of infiltration, soil organicmatter and runoff control are secondary benefits.

Resting rangeland in Béni Khédache,-El Athmane, Tunisia

Ouled Belgacem, IRA

©

Ouled Belgacem, IRA ©

Overgrazing can result in desertification in Tunisia

J. Gkioukis

Nestos, Greece

Stakeholders cannot all visit the evidence for themselves, - but the evidence can be presented

to them on a website, or in attractive factsheets, booklets,

policy briefs, posters, video clips, etc., - all in non-scientific language, and preferably in their

native language

Find out all aboutFind out all aboutDESIRE DESIRE

in the Harmonised Information in the Harmonised Information SystemSystem

http://www.desire-his.eu/

The main menus and sub-menus of the Harmonised Information

System provide access to all DESIRE results, products and

recommendations as they become available

Themes can be accessed through

the Study Site menu as well as the main

menu

Find a useful overview of the DESIRE field

experiments to test strategies to combat

desertification

This useful summary tool shows the technologies

implemented at each site, or where any particular strategy is being tested

... in Spanish

... in Russian ……

The Information System is now multi-lingual

Newsletters and other products can be

downloaded

An 8 page booklet on Salinization, was the

first in a series of Info-briefs.

Written in non-scientific language it

will inform a wide range of audiences

about the problems of salinization and how DESIRE research can

help

The Information System provides

access to PowerPoint

presentations ……

and video clips to summarise key

points…and documents that can be read on-line or downloaded

Training and practical instructions to

disseminate recommendations further are accessible in various

formats

Visit theVisit theDESIRE DESIRE

Harmonised Information System atHarmonised Information System athttp://www.desire-his.eu/