Seedlings of Artemisia herba-alba grown in glasshouse were watered with differing salinities (0, 150, 250 or 350 mM NaCl) and watering frequencies of 3, 7, 14 or 21 days for a period of 6 weeks. At the end of the study, plant survival, dry matter yield, biomass allocation (shoot and root), leaf area, relative growth rate (RGR), net assimilation rate (NAR), specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf area ratio (LAR) were recorded. When watered with 0 mM NaCl, Artemisia herba-alba plants had similar (P> 0.9) final dry matter weight and 100% survival regardless of watering frequency.

Since the publication of the Report of the Brundtland Commission (Our Common Future) in 1987, and the consequent Earth Summit on sustainable development, global attention on natural resource scarcity and degradation has been increasing, because of climate change and rising food and energy prices. This awareness, in turn, has led to growing interest in land investments by the private and public sectors. Despite this interest, however, land degradation has not been comprehensively addressed at the global level or in developing countries.

Often, when people think of drylands, they think of deserts and hostile living conditions, economic hardship and water scarcity. But that is not what drylands are all about. If managed well, drylands are often fertile and capable of supporting the habitats, crops and livestock that sustain the entire global population.

Human activities have resulted in unprecedented phenomena and severe impacts for the 21st century such as land degradation, natural resources scarcity, climate change, and a rapid decline in biodiversity. These alterations engender secondary effects such as political conflicts, disputes over resources, social disruptions and sudden shocks of catastrophic weather events which are becoming more frequent in critical regions of the world, particularly in drylands; and exacerbate threats for human, national and international security.

In the not so long history of humankind, our ancestors too often fought for land and water. Those days have returned.

En la no tan larga historia de la Humanidad, nuestros antepasados han luchado con demasiada frecuencia por la tierra y el agua. Aquellos tiempos están nuevamente de actualidad.

This is a brief for Policy Makers titled "From Land Degradation to Land Health"

C'est une adresse aux Décideurs "De la dégradation à la santé des sols"

Esto es un Compedio Para Responsables de Politicas "Revertir la degradación de la tierra"

THE VISION to forge a global partnership to reverse and prevent desertification/land degradation and to mitigate the effects of drought in affected areas in order to support poverty reduction and environmental sustainability

LA VISION mettre en place un partenariat mondial visant à enrayer et à prévenir la désertification et la dégradation des terres et à atténuer les effets de la sécheresse dans les zones touchées afin de concourir à la réduction de la pauvreté et au respect durable de l’environnement

LA META forjar una alianza mundial para revertir y prevenir la desertificación y la degradación de las tierras, y mitigar los efectos de la sequía en las zonas afectadas, a fin de apoyar la reducción de la pobreza y la sostenibilidad ambiental