Call for abstracts on the "Economic assessment of desertification, sustainable land management and resilience of arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas"

The call for contributions for the UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference is now open. Abstracts can be submitted for oral or poster presentations, special sessions or workshops until the 31 August 2012.

What is the focus of the UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference?

There is a widespread consensus that the pressing issues of Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought (DLDD) are not yet properly included and addressed in today’s political and private sector agendas on global, national and local levels and that it is therefore of vital importance to raise awareness for the negative impacts but also to address opportunities that decisions regarding land management and ecosystems have.

The UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference therefore aims to gather a broad range of stakeholders – academics, policy makers, private sector and civil society actors alike – to approach DLDD from an economic and holistic point of view.

The main goals of the conference are to improve current methods and practices for the valuation of sustainable land management, ecosystem services, and socio-economic benefits thereof to be able to compare the cost of inaction versus the cost of action; and to attain international recognition for the urgent need to increase investments in sustainable land management and soil productivity; to stress the economic and social benefits of preventive measures as opposed to merely reactive ones; and to develop a tool box for policy makers to better address current DLDD trends.

he conference aims to provide guidance to governments and non-governmental actors alike, on why they should and how they can, together, reduce the impacts and revert current trends of DLDD, and support affected countries and communities to improve land management practices and increase resilience.

Envisaged Conference Outcomes

The UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference will compile the current state of knowledge based on the analysis of peer reviewed and published literature, findings from case studies conducted in various geographical regions and on evidence-based, scientific discussions taking place at the conference itself in order to produce science based recommendations for policy makers. These recommendations will be submitted to the COP for its consideration. One of the main outcomes of the conference will be a State of the Art Report, based on two White Papers currently in preparation for the conference. The Call for Abstracts shall encourage the many stakeholders to substantially contribute to the final outcomes of the conference and the accepted papers and will be considered as additional input for the finalization of the State of the Art Report and the Recommendations.

Conference Theme

The specific thematic focus of the UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference is put on the “Economic assessment of desertification, sustainable land management and resilience of arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas”, providing an assessment of the state-of-the-art knowledge on the economics of desertification, sustainable land management and resilience.

The topical framework for the call for abstracts is kept broader than the overall conference topic to ensure that all aspects of DLDD receive the necessary scientific attention. The submission of abstracts presenting the findings of case studies from the various geographic regions is especially encouraged. The following key and sub-topics are suggested to be addressed:

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CONFERENCE PURPOSE

 The UNCCD 3rd Scientific Conference is expected to, among others:

• Provide a state-of-the-art knowledge on “Combating DLDD for poverty reduction and sustainable development: the contribution of science, technology, traditional knowledge and practices”;
• Promote partnerships and networking for sharing scientific and technical knowledge on DLDD issues;
• Translate the scientific findings for the use by policy makers.

Notification: UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference
For the latest updates, news and information regarding this Conference which is planned to take place no later than March 2013, visit: http://2sc.unccd.int/home/?HighlightID=111

Notification: Institution to Lead UNCCD 3rd Scientific Conference
For the call for submissions and terms of reference for a lead institution/consortium to organize the 3rd Scientific Conference, visit: http://www.unccd.int/en/programmes/Science/Conferences/Pages/call-for-lead-institutionorconsortium.aspx?HighlightID=109

Call for Abstracts

You are cordially invited to submit an abstract for a contribution to be included in the conference programme. Abstracts can be submitted for the following types of contribution: 

• Oral presentation
• Poster presentation
• Special session (you are fully responsible for topic, speakers, etc.)
• Workshop (you are fully responsible for topic, speakers, participants).

Accepted oral contributions will be presented within a series of parallel sessions. Each of these 90 minutes sessions will contain 4 to 5 oral presentations and provide opportunities for discussions at the end. Due to the limited amount of time slots available for talks, contributions submitted as an oral presentation may be accepted as a poster instead.

Specific time slots will be allocated for the presentation of accepted posters contributions. For these time periods - referred to as poster sessions - authors are asked to be available for discussion of their contribution. The poster will be on display for the whole duration of the conference.

The UNCCD 2nd Scientific Conference also offers the opportunity for interested institutions or organizations to design and organize a whole 90 minute special session or a workshop on a topic closely linked to the overall conference theme. These sessions/ workshops will be held in parallel to other thematic oral sessions. The organizer(s) of a special session/ workshop are responsible for the design of the content, the invitation of the speakers, the elaboration and printing of the material to be distributed and the overall organization and moderation of the session/ workshop.

Abstract Submission

Short abstracts, comprising a maximum of 250 words (rsp. 600 for sessions/ workshops), should include the goals, the research methods and the findings of the paper to be presented or the workshop/ session proposed and need to be submitted via the online conference management tool before the submission deadline of 31. August 2012.

Review Process

The submitted abstracts will undergo a review process to be led by the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC). The review will be based on the following set of criteria:

• significance and scientific quality of content
• originality and innovation
• capacity-building potential
• relevance for the overall conference topic
• presentation and formal appearance

Topics for Call

The thematic framework of the call for abstracts is kept broader than the overall conference topic to ensure that all aspects of DLDD receive the necessary scientific attention. The submission of abstracts presenting the findings of case studies from the various geographic regions is especially encouraged. The following key and sub-topics are suggested to be addressed:

Drivers of change and resilience increase

• Economics of the commons, community land management
• Land prices, markets, foreign investment in land
• Land rights, land reforms, and governance
• Implications of demographic changes (including rural-urban shift)
• Land degradation in industrialized countries
• Water scarcity and land (the nexus aspects)
• Climate change, related risks, and impacts on DLDD
• Financial drivers of land degradation and resilience

Economic, environmental and social assessment of DLDD

• Macro-economic policy drivers of land management
• Economic and social impacts of DLDD
• Identification and valuation of ecosystem services
• Indicators for DLDD / sustainable land management
• Water and land, water related ecosystem services
• Soil functions and related ecosystem services
• Economics of land use changes
• Traditional knowledge related to DLDD / sustainable land management

Economics of sustainable land management (policy and practice)

• Incentives for sustainable land management
• Application of a green economy and impacts on sustainable land management
• Policy analysis, good policy examples
• Investment opportunities in drylands, public private partnerships
• Awareness raising, research and education on the economics of DLDD
• Good practice in sustainable land management and lessons learned
• Land and habitat planning