Desertification: the uneasy interface between science, people & environmental issues in Africa

Desertification is a major environmental issue that is the focus of a recent UN convention (the CCD) that aims to improve the resolution of the problem. Desertification is however not a straight forward issue and has many controversial dimensions, in part due to confusion over its definition, extent, characteristics and causes. Many difficulties have arisen at the interface between science, politics and decision makers. From a scientific perspective, these problems have been a result of the speed of scientific research, the way in which scientifc ideas evolve, the manner in which data have been selectively used and, in parts of the developing world, becasue of perceived links between science and colonisation. It is argued that despite these problems that create an uneasy interface between science and politics, desertification can not be tackled from political and social directions alone. Science has a real role to play in combating desertification, particularly in the light of CCD goals. This role includes retaining the clarity of the issue, identifying environmental responses to human disturbances, monitoring the extent of desretifcation, and identifying appropriate scales of remedial action.