“Recently, the ‘First Africa Drylands Week’ ended with a simple, yet new, message: the drylands are areas with great potential for the development and sustainable growth of its populations and nations. We must translate this into reality in economic terms concerning the costs of inaction in relation to the costs and benefits of action in order to convince treasuries that the drylands should no longer be ‘deserts’ of investment,” Mr. Luc Gnacadja, the UN’s top advisor on land degradation, desertification and drought matters said.
“I am certain that the discussions and field trips this week [in Senegal] have clarified much better than I could ever do in words, that the challenges of desertification, land degradation and drought while real, are solvable,” he added.
Mr Gnacadja was speaking in Dakar, Senegal, at the global observance of the World Day to Combat Desertification. At a parallel event, taking place in Madrid, Spain, world football star, Mr Carlos Marchena, was designated a Drylands Ambassador of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
The events in Dakar brought together over 100 participants, including scientists, policy-makers and representatives of the international and civil society organizations and community groups, to consider ways to ensure the long-term sustainable management of the forests in the drylands. The Government of Senegal hosted both events, which were organized with the leadership of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in cooperation with the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF).
In its joint press release dispatched from the events, the CPF said the First Africa Drylands Week “demonstrated renewed solidarity and unity throughout the Circum-Saharan region. Scientific and operational partnership, based on comprehensive consultation and inclusive approaches and methodologies between the development and cooperation partners, countries and civil society will reinforce governance systems, including sustainable land management, land tenure and secure livelihoods. Under this framework, individual countries, or groups of countries will be able to develop their own initiatives that will together contribute to successful land management, combat effects of climate change, prevent and combat desertification, conserve biodiversity and mitigate the vulnerability of rural and urban societies and ensure food security for the tens of millions of families, across the Sahara and the Sahel.” The CPF’s 27 partners are among the largest international organizations that focus on forest issues.
The press kit is available at: http://www.unccd.int/publicinfo/june17/2011/menu.php
Slight editing done for time relevance only
and the drylands can be very cheap to replant as a future woodfuel/charcoal energy producing areas too!
ReplyDeletesee below,
Tree Seeds are by far the best method of promoting wide scale tree planting in Kenya. These are some of the benefits from the direct planting of tree seeds compared to planting seedlings;
•Seeds are Cheaper! (At roughly 0.25cents per tree compared to 20+ shillings per seedling)
•The tree’s hardiness and survivability increases.
•Thousands of seeds can be transported and stored much more easily then thousands of seedlings can until the planting time comes.
•Seeds can be massively disseminated through existing retail outlets with minimal price increments from producer to consumer. Tree seedlings face problems of availability at the right time, dissemination logistics etc.
•Partially domesticated indigenous tree species are best grown from seed. They are already adapted to Kenya’s climate, soils and pests and the trees are currently widely used and understood by the population.
•Seeds simplify the enhancement of the genetic diversity of planted woodlots.
•The above/below ground biomass ratio is more conducive to healthy growth when a tree is planted from seed.
•Overall financial losses and risks from drought, animals etc. are significantly less under direct seeding.
Available at the Carnivore Restaurant, UniqEco in Karen, Lukenya Agrovet in Kitengela Town,Ol Choro Wildlife Conservancy in Aitong, Roslyn Green Gardens in Westlands with more outlets to come!
The first best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is NOW!!!