“Desertification Assessment & Mitigation at The Monte Desert, Mendoza, Argentina”

ABRAHAM, E.,

Roma

Conferencia; International Scientific Conference on Advanced Scientific Tools for Desertification Policy; 2010

De Survey IP, CSIC, European Commission

A proposal is put forward about desertification assessment and mitigation recently achieved at the Monte desert, Mendoza, Argentina, which includes assessment and participatory monitoring of the processes and at the same time contributes to recovering desertified territories and incorporating deserts to economic and production circuits. As the area is representative of natural and social conditions in the drylands of the Argentine West, the proposal has a high likelihood of being replicated. The major goal is to contribute to an integrated and participatory system for desertification assessment, to strategies for sustainable development, and to the implementation of demonstrative experiences reappraising the worth of drylands and improving living standards for their people. Activities were organised around the following axes: research, development, transfer, technical assistance, management, and training of human resources. Desertification is approached as a complex system through an integrated assessment procedure based on benchmarks and indicators, with a strong participatory approach that contributes to awareness raising and empowerment of local communities. Studies are articulated around three components: natural, economic and socio-cultural, relating conceptual frameworks of combat of desertification, sustainable land use and land management. An alternative dryland development model has been designed that contributes to improving desertified lands through a better use of the territory’s endogenous resources, by diversifying goat production, reducing the stocking pressure on fields and raising the income level of producers. Activities include revegetation, reforestation, goat genetic improvement, healthy meat and milk production, composting, commercialization, access to goods and services, training and technical assistance. A demonstrative experience, "Production and Services Unit", has been implemented at the "Tres Cruces" locality. This is an original proposal for intensive sustainable production, based on partnership and empowerment by goat producers –with a high indigenous component- to produce and commercialize their products in situ, improving the grazing fields. Associated with this is the design of an Observatory of natural and social processes. This enterprise has had the contribution of a great number of research works conducted by interdisciplinary teams of IADIZA in Argentina, supplemented with experiences by ISILS and NRD (Italy) in the Mediterranean and North of Africa. In addition to this, the site is one of the case studies for land assessment at local level initiated by the LADA Project in Argentina, which allowed for national and international exchange, generating a solid evaluation framework through the setting up of transects and plots for permanent assessment and monitoring. The challenge involved "doing", insofar as this "doing" means generating knowledge and providing alternatives to the communities. Proof that the desert may be sustainable will contribute to the design of public policies at local and provincial level.