The geography of principle, concept and strategies of combating desertification: A learnig for sustainable human development

Desert is an ecosystem in which the continuity and stability of life cycle face with great hardness and water scarcity is its most important feature. Despite the difficult situations in geography of desert areas, today global community isn’t anxiety about derest climates existence but toward desertification phenomenon like deleterious process that cause decrease of land production capacity, during the time and often invisibly. Desertification is currently a big problem in many countries, especially in developing countries, and includes natural processes and improper human activities. The aim of this study was to investigate the history, current condition and the concepts and principles of desertification in the world and Iran, and then address the causes and consequences of this environmental phenomenon. Also study the historical trends of combating desertification programs in the world and review and analyse our country’s macro policies and strategies for combating desertification in the past, present and future. This descriptive-analytical study using documentary research method and systematic search of raliable scientific resources, has a comprehensive attention to subject. The results show that inhibition of desertification and sustainable management of desert areas, need to reform developmental patterns and recognition it’s social, cultural, economic and political roots because of its complex and multidimensional nature. Aslo should emphasis on human development more than direct deal with the external manifestations and through technical approaches. So the national action programme to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought requires the convergence of natural and human resources and community based participation of all stakeholders in design, implementation and evaluation of strategies and field work flexible and evolutionary. This paper suggests to investigate factors influencing society's perception status about desertification and interaction between human and derest ecosystems in future research and theoretical foundations of social and political ecology should be conceptualized and developed in the field of combat desertification.