A good book to read : Desertification, Land Degradation and Sustainability — Anton Imeson

Desertification offers a comprehensive overview of the subject and clearly emphasizes the link between local and global desertification processes and how past and current policy has affected arid environments and their populations.

This text adequately applies the research undertaken during the last 15 years on the topic. Desertification has become increasingly politicized and there is a need to present and explain the facts from a global perspective. This book tackles the issues surrounding desertification in a number of ways from differing scales (local to global), processes (physical to human), the relationship of desertification to current global development and management responses at different scales. Desertification has been mainstreamed and integrated into other areas of concern and has consequently been ignored as a cross cutting issue. The book redresses this balance.

Making use of much original data and information that has been undertaken by many scientists andpractitioners during the last decade in different parts of the world, Desertification, Land Degradation and Sustainability is organised according to the principles of adaptive management and hierarchy theory and clearly explains desertification within a framework of evolving and interacting physical and socio-economic systems. In addition to research data the book also draws from the National Action Plans of different countries, the IPCC Fourth Assessment on Climate Change and the Millennium assessments.

Clearly structured throughout, the content of the book is organised at different scales; local, regional and global. It also specifically explains processes linking top-down and bottom- up interactions and has a strong human component. The historical, cultural and physical context is also stressed.

Clearly organised into the following distinct sections:

a) Concepts and processes

b) Data

c) Impacts

d) Responses

e) Case studies.

This text is essential for anyone studying desertification as part of an earth and environmental science degree.

“It is highly recommended to all those who are interested in the science-policy links of desertification and to those who work in desertifying environments and want to understand what is going on around them.”  (International Journal of Environment and pollution, 1 November 2012)

“I highly recommend the outstanding and readily accessible book Desertification, Land Degradation and Sustainability: Paradigms, Processes, Principles and Policiesby Anton Imeson, to any students, academics, researchers, engineers, business leaders, agriculturalists, and public policy makers at all levels who are seeking an action oriented book that both outlines the issues and offers real solutions. This book will change the way that people think about their current local, national, and global practices and how they contribute tho the alarming increase in desertification and land degradation.”  (Blog Business World, 12 April 2012)

Desertification, Land Degradation and Sustainability offers a comprehensive overview of the subject and provides the reader with the concepts and principles necessary to understand the issues involved and develop appropriate responses.

This book tackles the issues surrounding desertification in a number of ways from differing scales (local to global), processes (physical to human), the relationship of desertification to current global development and management responses at varying levels.

Clearly structured throughout, the content of the book is organised across different scales; local, regional and global. It also specifically explains processes linking top-down and bottom- up interactions and has a strong human component. Focus is placed on the historical, cultural and physical context.

This book provides an authoritative and integrated synthesis of research in the field which will be an essential reference text for those students taking relevant courses within Geography and the Earth and Environmental Sciences.

• A comprehensive, yet accessible book that synthesises, integrates and adequately applies the research undertaken during the last 15 years.
• Includes numerous global case studies that provide an insight into the causes and effects of desertification and how different populations are responding to environmental change.
• A unique approach that looks at different scales- from local, regional and global; processes- from physical to human; and the relationship of desertification to current global development.
• Includes a key section on the links between desertification, globalization, climate change and biodiversity.
• Includes discussion of the impact of global policies on desertification

Anton Imeson has spent the last 15 years as a Professor responsible for research and teaching in desertification at the Physical Geography and Soil science Laboratory of the University of Amsterdam, as a participant and co-ordinator of many research projects funded by the mainly by the EU (EG Medalus Scape Efeda, Desertlinks, Desire and Ermes as COST acgtions); as a participant and consultant for UN organisations (UNDP, UNDP). He has contributed to the EU Soil Strategy on Desertification and is a member of the organising committee of many Scientific and Policy conferences on desertification.
Editor of Land Degradation and Development, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms and Earth Science Reviews