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Sunday, June 7, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Combating Desertification and Drought
CLIMATE CHANGE: Displacements Set To Increase
Climate change is likely to lead to an increase in conflicts and forced migrations of poor people in the south, a new report warns. Developing countries can reduce this impact by adopting preventative measures now, while international law and human rights principles need to be updated.
ETHIOPIA: A Leader Who Is Living History
Ethiopia is better known for recurring droughts and famines, a protracted civil conflict, and a border war with Eritrea. It is one of the poorest countries in the world, and a large percentage of the population lives in absolute poverty.ENVIRONMENT-NICARAGUA: Indigenous Groups Sound Forest Fire Alarm
Indigenous community leaders have sent a letter to the Nicaraguan authorities requesting protection against the risk of a potentially huge forest fire that would endanger about 60,000 families.DEVELOPMENT: Unexpected Benefits of Lesotho Highlands Water Project
The Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) was conceived and built primarily to supplement the water supply of the industrial hub of South Africa. The additional water has however, provided an important benefit beyond the original aims of the project - it is reducing the salinity of the Vaal Dam reservoir.SWAZILAND: Income Rating Hobbles Aid Effort
Amanda Dube is literally ‘dirt poor’. Fierce bush fires ravaged Swaziland for months in 2007, and repeatedly swept over the hilly area of Mliba where she lives. Fires burned the trees and vegetation on the small sloping plot where the widowed mother of three attempts to scratch out a maize crop.CHALLENGES 2007-2008: Peacekeepers for Darfur an Ongoing Source of Conflict
The hope for a lasting peace in Darfur is pinned on the deployment of 26,000 peacekeeping troops to the troubled region. However, squabbling between the many rebel factions, the Sudanese government and the international community still threatens to derail the process.ENVIRONMENT-CUBA: Restoring Lost Balance in Nature
Efforts to restore degraded island ecosystems are already producing results in the central Cuban province of Villa Clara, where scientists from different disciplines have been fomenting environmentally-friendly practices since the beginning of this decade.DEVELOPMENT-SWAZILAND: Water – "Just a Matter of Delivery"?
The main religious ceremony of the Swazi people is the "Incwala" or ‘Festival of the First Fruits’, held in late December. Dressed in traditional attire, tens of thousands of Swazi men and women dance and chant prayers to their ancestors. They seek good rains that will ensure abundant crops.ENVIRONMENT-LATAM: Ethical Development to Cool Off the Planet
Brazilian Environment Minister Marina Silva suggested an ethically and politically sustainable development model at a conference in this southeastern Brazilian city that has brought together national and international authorities and experts, business leaders and researchers to discuss solutions to fight climate change in the region.
ENVIRONMENT: Scramble for Resources Driving Sudan Conflicts
A U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) report released here this week emphasises strong linkages between environmental stresses and the ongoing conflict in Sudan.Q&A: "The Involvement of the Government Is Still Mixed"
Some cause for optimism, but several reasons for concern...That's the message from Amadou Wassouni as regards efforts to address desertification in Cameroon.ENVIRONMENT: Parliaments Said to be "Weak" in Fighting Desertification
Legislatures have been taken to task over their track record in addressing desertification, this at the eighth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP8), currently underway in the Spanish capital, Madrid.ENVIRONMENT: Warming May Trigger Agricultural Collapse
India could lose up to 40 percent of its agricultural output because of global warming even as it becomes the world's most populous country, warns a new study.ENVIRONMENT-COTE D’IVOIRE: Soya By Way of War
When the failed coup of September 2002 led to a prolonged period of isolation for northern Côte d'Ivoire, farmers in this rebel-held region counted the cost.ENVIRONMENT: Sands Running Out for UN Desertification Treaty
Concrete, firm and effective steps need to be taken by governments at the Eighth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, inaugurated in Spain’s capital Monday by the prince and princess of Asturias.HEALTH-GHANA: Boreholes That Proved a Lifeline Have Come at a Cost
Ask people to list the causes of tooth discolouration and they may mention tobacco chewing, or one too many cups of coffee a day. Pose the question in Ghana's northern Nayorigo village, however, and someone might answer: desertification.
ARGENTINA: From Wetlands to Desert, But No One Listening Upstream
The western portion of the Argentine province of La Pampa was a veritable oasis 50 years ago, with natural vegetation, thriving crops and abundant livestock. But the arbitrary management of the Atuel river upstream in the neighbouring province of Mendoza has transformed what were once wetlands and fertile farmland into a desert.BURUNDI: Population Growth and Poor Farming Methods Weigh on the Land
In Busoni, northern Burundi, the Mbarushimana clan is receiving a hard lesson in the limits of natural resources. Three sons, and other relatives, are trying to survive on land inherited from their father, amidst doubts that the small property is up to the task of supporting them.Q&A: A Hope "To Link the Efforts of all the Actors" in Fighting Desertification
Desertification poses a severe threat in the West African state of Mauritania, and Mohamed Yahya Lafdal is on the front lines of fighting the scourge.ENVIRONMENT-COTE D’IVOIRE: Acacias Come to the Service of Mangroves
Mangroves, it could be said, have perfected the art of multi-tasking. Found along tropical coastlines, these trees and shrubs may prevent soil erosion, while their roots create breeding places for various marine species. So, when a particular mangrove forest is shown to have been reduced by two thirds in less than 20 years, there is major cause for concern.WEST AFRICA: Stock Farmers Migrate From Difficulties, To Difficulties
No more grass for livestock to graze on. No more water, either. More than 50 stock animals dead. For farmer Samba Diallo, staying in Burkina Faso was no longer an option.« Previous Page — Next Page »
Today, some two billion people depend on ecosystems in dryland areas, with 90 percent of them living in developing countries. But the pace of arable land degradation is accelerating – now estimated at 35 times the historical rate -- impacting biodiversity, availability of clean water and food security, as well as exposing vulnerable communities to the harsh impacts of climate change. As the only legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) works to improve the living conditions of people in the drylands. IPS looks at local solutions being implemented around the world, from restoring soil productivity and mitigating the effects of drought, to projects that empower communities to manage their dryland resources more effectively.
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