Sustainable land use

In rangelands and grasslands, land degradation has an immediate and local impact by disrupting ecosystems from functioning, threatening livelihoods and negatively affecting social cohesion. It also threatens productivity while dovetailing with the threats of climate change in these ecologically fragile areas. The understanding of land degradation in rangelands and grasslands is weak, which is attributed to a lack of robust data and a misunderstanding of management objectives.

The high amount of land used for cultivation and livestock farming has dramatically shaped landscapes in Europe and throughout the rest of the world. Agriculture is a fundamental human activity that intrinsically depends on nature and at the same time poses a threat to it. Thus, sustainability has emerged as a necessity in future agricultural policy and practice.

Der Übergang zur intensiven Landbewirtschaftung, die Nutzungsaufgabe von steilen und abgelegenen Flächen sowie die Ausdehnung des Siedlungsraums haben in den vergangenen Jahrzehnten in den Alpen einen beträchtlichen Verlust an Landschaftsqualität und an biologischer Vielfalt verursacht. Im Rahmen des Nationalen Forschungsprogramms NFP 48 "Landschaften und Lebensräume der Alpen" wurden diese Veränderungen eingehend untersucht.

The thoughtful integration of built and natural environments in urban areas to advance social and economic goals has become a 21st century imperative. In response, this paper proposes some fundamental principles of ecological urbanism for use by planners, designers, architects and other professionals.

Biodiversité et Grande Muraille Verte explore la dépendance de l'humanité vis-à-vis de la nature et l'importance de la biodiversité pour le bien-être et le développement durable au Sahel. Le présent rapport vise à sensibiliser sur le rôle fondamental de la biodiversité dans l'atteinte des objectifs de la Grande Muraille Verte. Il présente de nouvelles preuves des liens qui existent entre la biodiversité, les services écosystémiques et le bien-être des populations.

Biodiversity and the Great Green Wall explores the dependence of humanity on nature and the importance of biodiversity for wellbeing and sustainable development in the Sahel. The report is written to raise awareness of the critical role for biodiversity in achieving the goals of the Great Green Wall.

This book describes how an era of biohappiness, based on the conservation and sustainable and equitable use of biodiversity, can be launched. It deals with all aspects of conservation such as in situ, ex situ and community conservation, and also covers conservation issues relating to mangroves and other coastal bioresources, whose importance has grown with the emerging possibility of sea-level rise from global warming.