From global politics to local land users: applying the United Nations Convention to combat desertification in Swaziland

Abstract

This paper explores the relevance of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and its related National Action Programmes (NAPs) to people affected by land degradation and change in Swaziland. Household data collected from three chiefdoms are examined, together with policy analyses and information from interviews with policymakers and NGO representatives, as the barriers that inhibit successful implementation of the UNCCD at the national level are explored. We demonstrate how the issues addressed by Swaziland's NAP do not always match the environmental challenges that most threaten the sustainability of rural livelihoods, despite the ‘participatory’ and ‘consultative’ approach taken in developing the policy. This is because the more powerful members of society restricted the public's access to policy space. We argue that local involvement in environmental policy and decision‐making as prescribed from the international political arena is insufficient to ensure empowerment and democracy in dealing with land degradation in national and local contexts, particularly within highly centralized political systems. Although the UNCCD represents a useful global framework in which to situate local anti‐degradation initiatives, in centralized political systems, its success depends upon changes being made to the ethos of national facilitating organizations. Only when the power balance is challenged and greater moves are made towards decentralization will local land users be able to assume a meaningful role in combating desertification.

Participation in environmental conservation and protected area management in Romania: A review of three case studies

“…2010) and, despite the engagement of NGOs (WWF 2004), did not draw on local knowledge or consider local needs, despite the policy rhetoric that stated it should (see Stringer et al . 2007).…”

“…No field verification was undertaken, which left considerable uncertainty regarding the existence, location and extent of certain species and habitats (Stancioiu et al 2010). The designation process was top-down and government-led, failed to engage local communities (Iojȃ et al 2010) and, despite the engagement of NGOs (WWF 2004), did not draw on local knowledge or consider local needs, despite the policy rhetoric that stated it should (see Stringer et al 2007).…”

Implementing the UNCCD: Participatory challenges

“…As a result, Swaziland ratified the UNCCD in 1996 and its NAP was approved by the cabinet in 2000. This case study synthesizes work by Stringer et al (2007aStringer et al ( , 2007bStringer et al ( , 2007c which investigated whether Swaziland's NAP adequately addresses the demands of the UNCCD, especially its recommendation that physical degradation issues be integrated with key aspects of land user involvement and participation in defining appropriate responses. A variety of top-down and bottom-up methods were used to identify the different types and sites of land degradation and determine the ways in which they affect local wellbeing in three study chiefdoms.…”

Challenges and opportunities in linking carbon sequestration, livelihoods and ecosystem service provision in drylands

“…This requires inter-and multidisciplinary approaches to capture aspects that straddle traditional academic disciplinary boundaries. It is also imperative that indigenous knowledge and traditional land management approaches are integrated into the science-policy dialogue if solutions are to be both durable and acceptable in local social and cultural contexts (Stringer et al, 2007;Thomas et al, 2012). Similarly, efforts to build capacity to address climate change at larger scales require investments to be 'future-proof' (resilient in the face of multiple development challenges that extend into the future).…”