Category 1 - other networks, collaborative projects and alliances working on dryland issues
African Drought Risk and Development Network
A regional networking facility for issues related to drought risk in development to stimulate and support strategies and initiatives to address drought risk in Africa.
http://www.droughtnet.org/
Agricultural Innovation in Dryland Africa (AIDA) Project
The AIDA project will deliver a comprehensive and critical assessment of initiatives for rural development in dryland Africa to identify key drivers for success or critical analyses of failed interventions and to share this knowledge with all stakeholders involved.
http://www.open-si.com/index.php?lang=fr
Arid Lands Information Network
ALIN membership consist of over 2000 grassroots Community Development Workers drawn from NGOs, community- based organisations as well as government departments, all offering a form of extension service in their fields of expertise, related to arid lands.
http://www.alin.or.ke/
ASA
The Brazilian ‘Articulação no Semi-Árido Brasileiro’ (ASA) is a forum for CSOs working in the semi-arid area of Brazil.
http://www.asabrasil.org.br/
DesertNet
A European network of interdisciplinary groups of scientists, active in basic and applied research on land degradation/desertification, directly related to poverty alleviation.
http://www.european-desertnet.eu/
DESIRE
The DESIRE project brings together 28 research institutes and NGOs from around the world in order to come up with alternative strategies for the use and protection of fragile arid and semi-arid ecosystems.
http://www.desire-project.eu/
Drylands Coordination Group
The Drylands Coordination Group (DCG) is a network driven by various non-governmental organizations on development issues in the dryland areas of Africa.
http://www.drylands-group.org
eniD - European Networking Initiative on Desertification
This European working group is dedicated to the implementation of the UNCCD in general and to the participatory approach of the Convention in particular.
http://www.bothends.nl/index.php? page=1_2&projectId=20
RNSCC - Regional Network for the Synergy between CBD and CCD
The network brings together West and Central African environmental and poverty-oriented NGOs. It aims to strengthen the capacities of its member NGOs in order to facilitate their access to the global knowledge and funding networks that are connected to the synergy between the CCD and CBD.
http://www.onigc.org/rpm/cbd-unccd/index.php
WOCAT database
WOCAT is a tool for documenting and evaluating Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) activities. A set of three comprehensive questionnaires and a database system have been developed to document all relevant aspects of SWC technologies and approaches, through which the reader can browse for appropriate and inspiring ways to tackle land degradation and desertification.
http://www.wocat.org/databs.asp
Category 2: linkages to UN-related dryland resources
FAO and Desertification
All information on the activities on desertification of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.
http://www.fao.org/desertification/default.asp?lang=en
Global Mechanism (GM)
The GM provides advisory services to the country Parties to the UNCCD. The GM is defined as an organizational entity mandated "to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of existing financial mechanisms…[and]…to promote actions leading to the mobilization and channelling of substantial financial resources to affected developing country Parties". The GM also manages the FIELD database, a dynamic knowledge management system for searching, sharing and harnessing information related to sustainable land management financing.
http://www.global-mechanism.org/>
http://www.gmfield.info/english/Field/main.htm
UNCCD - United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
The official site of the UNCCD with fact sheets, newsletters, a simplified guide to the Convention, a calendar of events, all official documents and much more.
http://www.unccd.int/main.php
UNDP Drylands Development Centre
The Drylands Development Centre of the UN Development Programme specializes in assisting countries to fight poverty and encourage development in the drier parts of the world. The Centre specializes in assisting countries to fight poverty and encourage development in the drier parts of the world.
http://www.undp.org/drylands
UNEP
The activities and programmes of the UN Environment Programme linked to land use and desertification can be found here.
http://www.unep.org/themes/land/index.asp?page=home
UNESCO MAB Drylands Program
The MAB drylands programme notably promotes: on-site dryland field studies; sharing of scientific expertise among dryland and desertification-affected countries; conservation of dryland ecosystems using the biosphere reserve approach; and education and capacity-building.
http://portal.unesco.org/science/en/ev.php-URL_ID=6426&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
Category 3: linkages to general drylands resources
GEF – Land Degradation
An independent financial organization, the Global Environment Facility provides grants to developing countries for projects that benefit the global environment and promote sustainable livelihoods in local communities. They have a window on Land Degradation.
http://www.gefweb.org/projects/Focal_Areas/land/land.html
IFAD – Rural Poverty Portal
Powered by IFAD, the Rural Poverty Portal is a website where rural poor people, policy-makers, donors, research institutes, non-governmental organizations and other development partners can share information about eradicating rural poverty. Desertification is one of the dimensions on the portal on which you can find a lot of information there.
http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/web/guest/topic/home/tags/desertification
IISD Reporting Services - Linkages
Bringing you the latest news, information and analysis from international environment and sustainable development negotiations. This link is for upcoming meetings related to forests, deserts and land, and the second one will bring you to coverage of meetings held.
http://www.iisd.ca/process/forest_desertification_land.htm
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment assessed the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being. There is a full chapter on Dryland Systems and a Desertification synthesis.
http://www.millenniumassessment.org/en/index.aspx
OasisGlobal
Oasis is a global Challenge Programme, a CGIAR-catalyzed mechanism that engages its Centers in strategic partnerships with leading research-for-development organisations worldwide to tackle major global issues.
http://www.oasisglobal.net
Category 4: linkages to organisations working in drylands
Drylands Research
Drylands Research is an informal consortium committed to understanding the linkages between policy strategies, long-term change, environmental management and rural livelihoods in semi-arid areas.
http://www.drylandsresearch.org.uk/dr_publishedarticles.html
IIED
Check this page of the International Institute for Environment and Development for the Haramata, Bulletin of the drylands, for cutting-edge and action research, and for lots of resources related to pastoralism.
http://www.iied.org/tags/drylands
IUCN
IUCN helps develop conservation science, manages field projects all over the world, and brings together players from different domains and sectors to develop and implement policy, laws and best practice. This link brings you to their work related to dryland ecosystems.
http://www.iucn.org/what/ecosystems/drylands/index.cfm
OSS
OSS is an independent international organisation based in Tunis, Tunisia. Their main objective is to give impetus to the combat against desertification and the mitigation of drought by providing member countries and organisations with a forum where they can share experiences and harmonise the ways in which data on early warning and monitoring systems for agriculture, food security and drought in Africa is collected and processed to feed into decision-support tools.
http://www.oss-online.org
SOS Sahel UK
We seek long-term, sustainable solutions to the poverty experienced by millions of people across the semi-arid lands of the Sahel region of Africa. We want to see the people of the Sahel have more influence over the decisions that affect their lives and more control over the natural and economic resources they need for a secure and fulfilling life.
http://www.sahel.org.uk/index.htm
Category 5: Linkages to capacity building materials on lobby, advocacy, fundraising and project management
Both ENDS Service Desk
Both ENDS' Service Desk offers support to civil society organisations in identifying relevant contacts, finding the right information and finding funding. It also offers support for activities and campaigns and mobilisation of allies. Materials include fundraising tools and donor information.
http://www.bothends.nl/index.php?page=8
Convention on Biological Diversity
A Good Practice Guide. Pastoralism, Nature Conservation and Development.
Montreal 2009
http://www.cbd.int/development/doc/cbd-good-practice-guide-pastoralism-booklet-web-en.pdf
ILEIA Documentation Manual
Learning from experience: A manual for organising, analysing and documenting field based information. Available in four languages.
http://documentation.leisa.info/index.html
Monitoring government policies - A toolkit for civil society organisations in Africa
This toolkit seeks to help partner organisations hold their governments to account for the consequences of their policies. Not only applicable in Africa!
http://www.trocairecd.org/pdfs/policy/governance/monitoringgovernmentpolicies.pdf
Networklearning.org
The purpose of this site is to make resources available, free, to NGOs working in the development or humanitarian fields. We make or find manuals that can help NGOs build skills, and suggest other websites with good resources.
http://www.networklearning.org
Provoking change - A toolkit for African NGOs
This Advocacy Toolkit was developed in 2007 for local and national NGOs, but specifically for those based in West Africa. This toolkit was produced by FERN at the request of a network of environmental NGOs in West Africa: the Green Actors of West Africa (GAWA).
http://www.fern.org/media/documents/document_3914_3917.pdf English version
http://www.fern.org/media/documents/document_3914_3918.pdf French version
Seeds for Change
Seeds for Change Network is a non-profit training co-op helping people organise for action and positive social change. Seeds for Change offers some free briefings and resources on practical campaigning skills and working in groups.
http://seedsforchange.org.uk/free/resources#grp
