Governing Global Desertification

Dr Pierre Marc Johnson has been counsel to Heenan Blaikie, Canada, since 1996. He is advisor to various international institutions, including the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (NAFTA parallel institution) and the UNCCD Secretariat. He has also chaired Committees of the Conference of Parties of the UNCCD and has mediated Convention related issues between OECD and developing countries in the last decade. Karel Mayrand is co-founder and Director of Research at Unisféra International Centre, Canada - an independent, not-for-profit research centre on sustainable development policy and law. He also lectures on environment and international development issues at the Université de Sherbrooke, Canada. His fields of expertise are trade policy and the environment, agricultural policies, rural development and desertification. Marc Paquin is a lawyer and MBA specializing in international and comparative environment and sustainable development law and policy. He is the co-founder and Executive Director of Unisféra International Centre, Canada and is also a lecturer at the Université de Sherbrooke, Canada. Throughout his career Mr Paquin has worked on various assignments for governments, intergovernmental organizations and the private sector.

• Contents: Preface; The United Nations Convention to combat desertification in global sustainable development governance, Pierre Marc Johnson, Karel Mayrand, and Marc Paquin; The scientific basis: links between land degradation, drought and desertification, Stefanie M Herrmann and Charles F. Hutchinson; Examining the links between poverty and land degradation: from blaming the poor towards recognising the rights of the poor, Sally-Anne Way; Desertification and migration, Michelle Leighton; Negotiating desertification, Adil Najam; The United Nations and the fight against desertification: what role for the UNCCD Secretariat?, Steffen Bauer; Civil society's role in negotiating and implementing the UNCCD, Friederike Knabe; Promoting good governance through the implementation of the UNCCD, Lene Poulsen and Masse Lo; The global mechanism and UNCCD financing: constraints and opportunities, Francois Falloux, Suzanne Tressler, and Karel Mayrand; Decentralisation and sustainable resources management in West Africa: a line of action for revisiting national action programmes, Richard Pearce; Knowledge and the UNCCD: The community exchange and training programme, Noel Oettle; Agriculture, trade, and desertification: implications for UNCCD, Karel Mayrand and Marc Paquin; Conclusion: the UNCCD at a crossroad, Pierre Marc Johnson, Karel Mayrand, and Marc Paquin; Appendix: United Nations convention to combat desertification in those countries experiencing serious drought and/or desertification, particularly in Africa; Bibliography; Index.

'While there are many books and articles written about the scientific causes and effects of desertification, there are few that integrate the political, social, economic and scientific aspects. Governing Global Desertification fills this void through its analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the Convention to Combat Desertification and this serious problem that affects over 2 billion people.' Pamela S. Chasek, International Institute for Sustainable Development, Canada 'Ten years after ratification, there's been limited progress with the Convention to Combat Desertification. This collection of papers helps shed light on why the donors have been reluctant to get involved, and looks forward to the challenges of the next ten years. A valuable set of insights on a complex global institution.' Camilla Toulmin, Director, International Institute for Environment & Development, UK 'This book reflects well the issues and processes governing the UNCCD. It has the merit of bringing a true historical perspective to the difficult genesis of this International Development Convention which will continue to struggle as long as developed countries are not convinced that desertification also affects them and will affect them more so in the future.' Natural Resources Forum '...a very useful contribution to the literature for anyojne wishing to learn more about the UNCCD and the challenges of its implementation, especially in Africa.' Modern African Studies '...a valuable contribution to knowledge about the effects of desertification on development and how the implementation of the UNCCD might be valuable to achieving sustainable land management in drylands. It is recommended for academic audiences as well as development practitioners, particularly those concerned with rural dryland regions.' Review of African Political Economy 'The contributors are evenly split between academia and policy NGOs, resulting in an accessible style and practical orientation. It is also extremely well organized...the book provides a thoughtful and wide-ranging account of a very important convention...it is an interesting and accessible read on the very important and theoretically rich topics of sustainable development and global governance.' The Round Table '...an important and useful collection of studies that gives a thorough review and analysis to the process promoted by UNCCD. The editors have done an outstanding effort of organizing the book by offering different points of view on the importance of combating desertification. This edited volume should be a useful resource for policy makers, practitioners, economists and natural resource scientists...' International Journal of Environment and Pollution