Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Following the efforts of Deriba Center for Environmental Studies to address the problems of drought, desertification and land degradation in Sudan, and within the framework of its active participation in the Sixteenth Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, which was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 2-13 December 2024, Deriba Center for Environmental Studies organized a panel discussion entitled: Land Degradation and Conflicts in Africa and Sudan presented by:
– Dr. Mohamed Saleh Dafallah, Lecturer, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Khartoum
– Ms. Alawiya Sir Al-Khatim Mohammed – Environmental Activists
–Ms. Tasneem Sayed Ahmed – Environmental and conflicts Researcher
The session was moderated by Dr. Alaaeldein Abdelrahman Yousif, Environmental researcher
Dr. Mohammed pointed to the need to distinguish between concepts related to land degradation and desertification, as he explained that not all land degradation is desertification, and explained that land degradation is the loss of land and its productive capacity due to factors related to human activities. He added that there is a great similarity in the causes of land degradation between Sudan and Africa in general, the most important of which is the absence of community participation in the preservation of natural resources, especially land, and societal and armed conflicts, and he added, “Sustainable land management is the solution and building a coherent legislative and legal system for land use and ownership,” Saleh pointed out that there is a strong relationship between land degradation and conflicts, and the latter leads to terrible land degradation and concluded his speech: Natural resources, especially land and water, are environmental components of importance for livelihood and food security, he said, noting that land degradation is the cause of many conflicts in Africa and Sudan.
Alawiya Al-Sir presented a paper on the problems of desertification and sand encroachment in the state of the Nile River Al-Damer locality, which is part of a research project, and explained that the encroachment of sand crosses one of the major threats to biodiversity and human life in the state and provided some solutions, the most important of which is the review of laws and the enactment of legislation that ensures the preservation of the environment.
Researcher Tasneem screened “The Death of Trees“, a film about the great destruction of forest resources as a result of the on-going war in Sudan.
The session was attended by Sudanese professionals, including experts, academics, journalists, and students, and a constructive discussion took place on the proposed solutions, and the attendees assured the need for concerted efforts to confront the growing environmental challenges facing Sudan.
In conclusion: Deriba Center for Environmental Studies – DCES thanked the Changwon Initiative for providing the opportunity to organize the session and for the honourable attendees, and special thanks to the presenters of the papers for the valuable information.
