On the ground
Reversal of fortune
The dry rangelands of Northern Kenya are inhabited mainly by pastoralists—people who derive a living from raising livestock and continually move in search of water and pasture. Until recently, pastoralists in this region have been able to adapt to their highly variable conditions, supplying most of Kenya’s meat, milk, hides and skins. …
10 Jan 2011 | News story
Desert power
As climate change escalates, the world is increasingly looking to engineered solutions to reduce carbon emissions and provide sustainable energy. Recently the focus has turned on deserts and how they can be used to supply large amounts of renewable energy which is causing some concern among environmentalists. …
14 Sep 2009 | News story
Ancient meets modern
In the Middle East, an ancient conservation practice is being joined with the latest conservation science as a way to achieve sustainable development at the local level. …
10 Sep 2009 | News story
Swaziland’s natural future
The natural products industry is growing exponentially in Southern Africa. Incomes have increased throughout the supply chain—from primary producers and processing companies to community-based enterprises. A major factor in the increase in revenue is organic and fair trade certification. …
01 Jan 2011 | News story
Putting a price on drylands in Niger
Located in the heart of the West African Sahel, Niger covers over 1.27 million km squared. The Agadez Region of Niger is exceptional in a number of ways. …
25 Aug 2009 | News story
The sky’s the limit for Zambia’s rural women
Mongongo fruits are widely used in Southern Africa as an important food source. In Zambia, local company, Kalahari Natural Oils makes products from the rich Mongongo oil to treat dry skin and hair. The business is based on wild harvested fruits supplied by large groups of primary producers based in western Zambia. Kalahari Natural Oils is a member of PhytoTrade Africa, which works with IUCN in implementing the Natural Futures Programme. …
28 Aug 2009 | News story
Appreciating Kenya’s drylands
In Kenya, drylands make up 84 percent of the country’s total land surface and support about 9.9 million Kenyans, or approximately 34 percent of the country’s population. …
12 Jan 2011 | News story
How much are Botswana’s drylands worth?
Botswana is an arid to semi-arid landlocked country that borders South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia. More than 80 percent of Botswana is drylands and three-quarters of the total land area is covered by the Kalahari sands. …
25 Aug 2009 | News story
Help for Pakistan’s poorest
Balochistan is the largest of Pakistan’s four provinces. With its harsh climate and landscape, it is the poorest and least populated. Watershed degradation has created an extremely fragile environment. Here, people’s livelihoods depend mainly on agriculture and livestock, both extremely susceptible to the frequent droughts and flash floods that plague the area. …
31 Aug 2009 | News story
Spotted ships of the desert
Giraffes in the desert? Now there’s a thought. Surprisingly, giraffe are extremely well adapted to life in some of the most arid environments on the African continent including the oldest desert of them all - the Namib Desert. …
28 Aug 2009 | News story
