Ecosystems and Human Well-Being: Desertification Synthesis

Overview

This report presents a synthesis and integration of the findings of the four MA Working Groups (Condition and Trends, Scenarios, Responses, and Sub-global Assessments). It does not, however, provide a comprehensive summary of each of those Working Group reports, and readers are encouraged to also review those findings. It is organized around the core questions originally posed to the MA: How has desertification affected ecosystems and human well-being? What are the main causes of desertification? Who is affected by desertification? How might desertification affect human well-being in the future? What options exist to avoid or reverse the negative impacts of desertification? And how can we improve our understanding of desertification and its impacts?