CAN SCIENCE AND COMMUNITY-ACTION CONNECT TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION

Ever since the process of desertification was first recognized, scient ific expertise has been in the forefront of attempts to reduce or reve rse its impact. More recently the importance of involving indigenous k nowledge and people experiencing and being directly affected by desert ification has been acknowledged. In Namibia several programmes working on aspects of desertification have highlighted the importance of the planning, policy and legislative framework, the environmental framewor k and the socio-economic framework in combating desertification. Scien ce and community action can connect to combat desertification, but the results are effective only if the framework conditions are conducive to these interactions. (C)1998 Academic Press Limited.