Unravelling desertification

Book excerpt: This book analyses processes of desertification from a social science perspective and unravels the policy related to drivers of desertification. Desertification is addressed both as a concept surrounded by a multitude of different discourses and as a tangible unsustainable process that is connected to a complex set of policies and changing land management practices. The focus is on Southern Europe, where desertification has been a long-standing problem in many areas, and where in some places the loss of productive capacity has worsened considerably over the last few decades. By focusing on four specific case study areas in Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece, the scope of the book will cover the ‘human dimension’ of desertification, exploring in particular how the framework of existing policies has affected land management decisions and desertification processes. The emphasis will be on how policies may have contributed to desertification alleviation and mitigation, as well as to a worsening of desertification processes. By using an actor-network approach, the book specifically investigates the importance of networks of actors that shape the nature and direction of policies that affect desertification processes. In this sense, this book aims at providing a first glance into the complex policy, economic and socio-cultural networks that operate at the local, regional and national levels in areas of Southern Europe affected by desertification, and to analyse how these networks hinder, or promote, the implementation of policies aimed at alleviating the threat of desertification. With its broad remit, this exciting book will appeal to many different audiences, not only including academics and students of various disciplines, but also practitioners at the local, regional (Mediterranean) and international (e.g. EU) spatial levels in a variety of fields such as environmental and agricultural policy-making, agricultural extension services, farming organisations, environmental NGOs, media representatives and many other environmental stakeholder groups.