UNCCD-SEI Joint seminar: Combating desertification - a strategic response to global changes and challenges

Seminar on: Sustainable land management secures drylands water quality

Panel topic 1: What are the impacts of desertification, land degradation and drought on water resources availability, accessibility and quality?

Desertification land degradation or drought are increasingly becoming a threat throughout the world, causing water scarcity, food insecurity, underdevelopment of economies, poverty and inflicting destitution on the populations of vast areas. Water scarcity frequently appears in areas with low rainfall but also in areas affected with desertification, land degradation and drought as well as in areas with high population density, intensive agriculture and/or industrial activity, particularly in the drylands. Reversing the processes by which desertification enhances water scarcity and invades arable lands turning them
into desolate wastes is one of the most crucial challenges facing many communities and countries around the world. This panel will look into the fundamentals of desertification land degradation and drought and their impacts on the availability, accessibility and quality of water resources and endeavour to highlight some of the measures used to address the related consequences by giving answers to the following panelist questions.

Questions for panelists

1 (a) Is it fundamentally correct to make a case that desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD) affect water resources and (b) what are the most significant DLDD drivers that impinge on water availability and quality?

2. How can sustainable land management (SLM) be used as a strategy for enhancing drylands management, protecting and improving the availability and quality of the world’s freshwater resources, as well as providing effective measures for mitigating and adapting to climate change and the envisaged future scenarios of water scarcity particularly in the drylands?

3. Can research on desertification and the derived policies at the local level constitute the frontline in the battle for water availability, quality improvement and environmental sustainability? Can the resultant policies and practices improve livelihoods and reduce vulnerability in drylands ecotypes, home to pastoralists?

Panel II: Panel Topic: How does fostering policies on sustainable land management secure drylands water resources availability, accessibility and quality as well as enhancing adaptation?

Desertification and land degradation are major culprits in inducing water scarcity through directly reducing fresh water reserves. They directly impact river flow rates by increasing river water turbidity. High river water turbidity does not only reduce river flow rates but also result in the rapid siltation and sedimentation of surface water reservoirs and estuaries. Desertification also negatively impact groundwater tables through reducing the soil water holding capacity in the event of rainfall. In coastal areas, the lowering of groundwater levels result in the intrusion of salt water into water tables. In the face of desertification and the resultant water scarcity an accelerated and often rampant exploitation of underground water reserves often occurs to meet socio-economic needs, leading to gradual depletion of ground water and inevitable increased water scarcity.

Communities in the drylands have over the years adapted themselves to water scarcity, evolving ways of coping with this reality as frequent and severe droughts have become prevalent. Over the years a variety of solutions, policies and strategies have been developed to mitigate the impacts of water scarcity on local communities. This panel will look into the relevance of policies in addressing desertification land degradation and drought to enhance the availability; accessibility and the quality of water resources as it provide answers to the following panelist questions.

Questions for panelists

1. How can policies that address DLDD tackle/address the challenges of water availability and governance in drylands cities and their hinterlands? What are the specific, current adaptation strategies and policies of relevance, from local to national scale? What further efforts are needed in the future?

2. Are there some examples of good practices or success stories to illustrate the importance of sustainable land management in addressing water availability and quality challenges? Is groundwater management and restrictions on land uses above aquifers to ensure safe water supply as the practiced in Windhoek in Namibia a good example to follow?

3. What innovations in water management, policies and technology are available to manage and cope with unsustainable drought risks and water scarcity/stress? What is the thinking behind the Triple Green Approach such as the current project in Niger and what does it entail? What are the associated opportunities and challenges?

Summary and conclusions

In concluding the seminar, the moderators of the two panels will give overview conclusions based on the key issues raised by the respective panelists and discussions from the floor. The summary would emphasize the importance of sustainable land
management as an imperative for combating desertification, land degradation and mitigating the effects of drought to enhance the availability, accessibility and quality of water resources and stressing on how are the related benefits accrued?