6 February 2009: The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has released information concerning the scientific conference to be held in conjunction with the next meeting of its Committee on Science and Technology. The conference will consider “Bio-physical and socio-economic monitoring and assessment of desertification and land degradation, to support decision-making in land and water management.”

The meeting is being organized by the Dryland Science for Development Consortium, with the assistance of the UNCCD Secretariat. In the coming months, three Working Groups will develop analyses that reflect prevailing scientific consensus on three facets of the conference’s topic: integrated methods for monitoring and assessment of land degradation processes and drivers (land quality assessment); monitoring and assessment of land rehabilitation and sustainable land management (sustainable land management assessment); and impacts of economic and social drivers and knowledge management on monitoring and evaluation of land degradation (socioeconomic and knowledge assessment). In addition to the Working Groups, preparations for the meeting will be conducted through an e-dialogue that is open to all interested scientists. [Meeting Announcement]