Sustainable Management of Marginal Drylands (SUMAMAD)
Drylands are particularly vulnerable to climatic and human pressures, yet they constitute some of the world's largest land reserves in terms of space and natural resources. Their increased productivity, needed in times of population growth, needs to be embedded in wise practices that respect the conservation of the environment, and provide improved and alternative livelihoods for dryland populations. The project uses a harmonized approach for study sites to compare results and share knowledge between countries. It targets:

• socio-economic surveys to identify people's adaptation and traditional knowledge in coping with dryland conditions;
• management approaches that promote economic sustainability and resource conservation, in particular of soils and water, fostering the rehabilitation of degraded drylands with community-based approaches;
• training, capacity building and interaction with landowners, farmers and other stakeholders, with a focus on sustainable and indigenous dryland management practices.

In this project scientists also work on the conservation of freshwater resources and biodiversity, which has to be compatible with the needs of local populations to manage their natural resources in a sustainable and income-generating manner.

UNESCO Sector: Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences
Responsible Staff:  Thomas Schaaf
More information: http://www.unesco.org/mab/ecosyst/drylands.shtm