Arid zones

The most important agro-ecological problem confronting the steppe regions of Southern Russia is desertification, in large part due to pasture degradation. This publication provides an overview of the status of the various regions in Russia, and studies the connection between desertification and the state and history of agriculture and stockbreeding in each region.

In preparation for WSSD, IUCN's international Task Force invited prominent experts from African civil society to meet together in Dakar. This publication in both English and French is the result of that meeting.

Agriculture is one of the most important influences on biological diversity. Conventional agriculture has heavily contributed to reducing the diversity of ecosystems, species and genes, but it has also created new diversity. The eighth Interactive Session of the 2nd World Conservation Congress dealt with a broad spectrum of agricultural issues from around the world and examined the linkages between biodiversity, economy and society.

The theme of the Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Session of the GBF was “Using Biodiversity to Strengthen Livelihoods”. The Forum explored ways and means of integrating poverty alleviation considerations into local, national and regional actions aimed at conserving, using sustainably and sharing equitably the benefits of biodiversity.