ES1104 - Arid Lands Restoration and Combat of Desertification: Setting Up a Drylands and Desert Restoration Hub

There is great need to restore existing despoiled drylands and to combat increasing desertification. Restoring habitats improves biodiversity, increases carbon sequestration, enhancing the quality of life for people. An essential measure is the planting of and reestablishment of vegetation. The successful establishment of vegetation in arid areas is complex requiring the multi-disciplinary skills of arid land experts with various capabilities (soils, hydrology, ecology etc.) However, vegetation restoration techniques in arid areas requires review and development. This Action is required as access to information is acutely limited, disjointed and new techniques are available and not universally tested. This Action aims to create an ‘Arid Lands Restoration Hub’ to provide the science and practical guidance for dryland restoration and combat of desertification through a dynamic and productive international network of initially 29 participants from 15 COST countries and 2 partners from outside Europe. The Action will deliver an integrated database within a harmonized information hub of current and new methods and techniques of restoration, trials and field studies, assessment indicators, academic and practical publications, and tools to identify and support practical restoration projects and decision makers in planning and restoring drylands and the combat of desertification. The Action promotes open knowledge, innovation in procedures and methods for improved restoration in dry lands.