4
knowledge systems (Johnson et al. 2016; Tengö et al. 2017); (4) encouragement of
transdisciplinary and participatory research (Schuttenberg and Guth 2015; Hickey
2018, Hickey et al. 2018; Willyard et al. 2018) for the co- production of relevant
knowledge for action research (Clark et al. 2016; Durose et al. 2018); (5) generation of
place-based learning communities (Davidson-Hunt and O’Flaherty 2007); (6) stimulation of the co-design of novel management, assessment, and governance schemes
(Whitfield and Reed 2012; Schoon et al. 2015; Bautista et al. 2017; Bodin 2017; de
Vente et al. 2017, (7) providing information for sustainable policy and socio-economic
development standards in accordance with the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals (Agenda 2030). This network is the first national/international
node of a recently founded international platform (see Chap. 13) to coordinate novel
research, management, and assessment models in the drylands of Latin America, North
Africa, and Europe in response to global environmental change in the Anthropocene.
The RISZA initiative also contributes to the wide range of activities related to the
so-called Global South to foster the global scientific and research-development
agenda on drylands. As a matter of context, the concept “Global South” refers
broadly to the regions of Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. It is a term that
has emerged as an alternative to the misconceived and former colonial ideas of “The
Third World” and “Periphery” adopted in Europe and North America pointing to
low-income and often politically or culturally marginalized countries of the planet
(Dados and Conell 2012). The use of the “Global South” idea marks a shift from a
central focus on underdevelopment or cultural differences in world countries,
towards an emphasis on geopolitical relations of power among more equal nations.
This is possible through the economic, political, cultural, and environmental
changes that many developing nations in different continents have undergone over
the past three decades. The Global South is rather an international political and
economic concept that focuses on how world cultures, particularly those from Latin
America Africa and Asia, respond to globalization and global processes linked to
the environment, poverty, immigration, gender, etc., together with transformation,
colonialism and post-colonialism, and modernity.
In the specific case of this book, we address the vision of drylands stewardship
through the lens of a group of countries in Latin America (mostly Mexico) and Africa,
through the nexus with the Agadir Platform, a transdisciplinary initiative, where countries from the two regions and Southern Europe collaborate on a common scientific
agenda on sustainable development in drylands in the light of climate change.
Drylands Vulnerability in the Twenty-First Century
Over millennia the drylands have undergone innumerable transformations in climate, biotic interactions, and human conditions. Pressing current challenges in
global drylands include a broad spectrum of issues as shown in Table 1.1.
Hence, these challenges explain why drylands currently cover over 35% of the
global biodiversity hotspot area (Davies et al. 2012) and 28% of the total area of
World Heritage Sites (Gudka et al. 2014). Past climate warming has been most
E. Huber-Sannwald et al.
knowledge systems (Johnson et al. 2016; Tengö et al. 2017); (4) encouragement of
transdisciplinary and participatory research (Schuttenberg and Guth 2015; Hickey
2018, Hickey et al. 2018; Willyard et al. 2018) for the co- production of relevant
knowledge for action research (Clark et al. 2016; Durose et al. 2018); (5) generation of
place-based learning communities (Davidson-Hunt and O’Flaherty 2007); (6) stimulation of the co-design of novel management, assessment, and governance schemes
(Whitfield and Reed 2012; Schoon et al. 2015; Bautista et al. 2017; Bodin 2017; de
Vente et al. 2017, (7) providing information for sustainable policy and socio-economic
development standards in accordance with the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals (Agenda 2030). This network is the first national/international
node of a recently founded international platform (see Chap. 13) to coordinate novel
research, management, and assessment models in the drylands of Latin America, North
Africa, and Europe in response to global environmental change in the Anthropocene.
The RISZA initiative also contributes to the wide range of activities related to the
so-called Global South to foster the global scientific and research-development
agenda on drylands. As a matter of context, the concept “Global South” refers
broadly to the regions of Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. It is a term that
has emerged as an alternative to the misconceived and former colonial ideas of “The
Third World” and “Periphery” adopted in Europe and North America pointing to
low-income and often politically or culturally marginalized countries of the planet
(Dados and Conell 2012). The use of the “Global South” idea marks a shift from a
central focus on underdevelopment or cultural differences in world countries,
towards an emphasis on geopolitical relations of power among more equal nations.
This is possible through the economic, political, cultural, and environmental
changes that many developing nations in different continents have undergone over
the past three decades. The Global South is rather an international political and
economic concept that focuses on how world cultures, particularly those from Latin
America Africa and Asia, respond to globalization and global processes linked to
the environment, poverty, immigration, gender, etc., together with transformation,
colonialism and post-colonialism, and modernity.
In the specific case of this book, we address the vision of drylands stewardship
through the lens of a group of countries in Latin America (mostly Mexico) and Africa,
through the nexus with the Agadir Platform, a transdisciplinary initiative, where countries from the two regions and Southern Europe collaborate on a common scientific
agenda on sustainable development in drylands in the light of climate change.
Drylands Vulnerability in the Twenty-First Century
Over millennia the drylands have undergone innumerable transformations in climate, biotic interactions, and human conditions. Pressing current challenges in
global drylands include a broad spectrum of issues as shown in Table 1.1.
Hence, these challenges explain why drylands currently cover over 35% of the
global biodiversity hotspot area (Davies et al. 2012) and 28% of the total area of
World Heritage Sites (Gudka et al. 2014). Past climate warming has been most
E. Huber-Sannwald et al.