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The adoption of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in 1994 galvanised the international community in combating land degradation. The Convention has evolved as a continuing international process, engaging sound policy framework, incorporating not only good governance, policy improvement and NGOs involvement, but also a sound systematic observation and rigorous scientific knowledge that are prerequisites for developing effective strategies to concretely tackle the problem.

Science is one of the pillars for the effective implementation of the UNCCD, it is incumbent upon all concerned partners to strengthen the scientific knowledge base towards this end. Due to the complexity of the challenges posed by desertification and land degradation, it is essential to identify possible solutions from a multidisciplinary point of view, also including the valuable traditional knowledge that exists in the countries affected. There is a strong need not only for participatory and community level applied research but also for a dialogue between scientists and decision-makers at local level, especially during the NAP implementation process. National and regional scientific networks can focus the research activities and disseminate the results so they can be integrated into policy.