How can we stop the slow-burning systemic fuse of loss and damage due to land degradation and drought in Africa?

King-Okumu, Caroline, Tsegai, Daniel, Sanogo, Diaminatou, Kiprop, Jonah, Cheboiwo, Joshua, Sarr, Mame Sokhna, Inacio Da Cunha, Marcelo and Salman, Maher (2021) How can we stop the slow-burning systemic fuse of loss and damage due to land degradation and drought in Africa? Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 50, 289-302. (doi:10.1016/j.cosust.2021.04.008).

Abstract

Droughts are extreme events that have major impacts on communities, ecosystems and economies due to slow onset and complex processes. Land and ecosystem degradation increase the risks of loss and damage during droughts, whereas well-adapted practices and policies can enable society to (re)build resilience. This review highlights actions needed to connect and fill gaps in the present systems for ecological and hydrological monitoring, governance, and alignment of economic incentives at regional, national and local scales. Stopping the slow-burning fuse of drought damage requires improved tracking and reversal of the observable slow-onset nature of hydrological and socio-economic drought. International scientific and technical cooperation to better map and quantify changing loss and damage risks could provide evidence-based action triggers.

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