Our First 300  

from 54 different countries
29% Arab partcipation!  


Find your Abstract
in alphabetical order:

Dear colleagues

We are proud to present the first 270 tentative titles of your abstract submissions and would like to point out the fact that 100 of these contributions were send to us even before we made our official First Announcement or Call for Papers!

Your submissions naturally will stay anonymous until they have been accepted by your Session Convenors and if necessary by our Organizing (Scientific) Committee. Please accept that we will have to make some very difficult decisions, because only a limited number of abstracts can be accepted for this first event. In addition many of you will not be able to attend because of the extremely scarce financial support we will be able to offer to a selected few.
We will advice to check your abstract title from this list in alphabetical order and abstract ID. If in case human or technical failure should have occurred and an abstract did not reach us or disappeared within our internal organizational structure, please contact us:
papes@isdehs.com

On behalf of the entire voluntary team  NDRD would like to say thanks for your support in this pioneer initiative intended to create an ongoing dialogue between researchers and policy makers from the Arab world with the global scientific community as well as to reposition the ongoing desertification debate within the context of human security. (livelihood / vulnerability)

Public Statement on Quality and Contents of Abstracts

Dear colleagues,

One of the principal objectives of NDRD is to contribute to the advancement of drylands research and sustainable development for the benefit and wellbeing of humanity.

However the first step to achieve this long term objective is to encourage our colleagues from the affected countries to share their research with the rest of the world and ensuring that they make a personal effort to do so.

We explicitly ask theses colleagues in our "Call for submissions" to contribute the topics that they feel are of interest to their region. Certainly some of the results seem somewhat not relevant to us as well, but we don't see a need to impose our ideas when talking about "Drylands Ecology and Human Security" for this first pioneer event. In fact we hope that our plenary lectures will help to develop certain sensitivity to the understanding that research in this field needs a holistic approach in the minds of our participants.

What is certainly still missing is the interdisciplinary approach and we will counteract for ISDEHS 2007. However this idea is almost completely nonexistent in the minds of scientists in these countries – partly as a result of their educational systems, which do not provide room for alternative, critical and individual scholarly thought – and will take time to develop.
Certainly even on a global scale, this will not be the first conference on "desertification" that is lacking the social sciences.

Consequently we would like to point out that interdisciplinary environmental research in the field of drylands research is of utmost importance, since it will provide the information and understanding needed to enhance development pathways that provide alternatives to economically costly and socially detrimental environmental degradation.

Furthermore it will increase scientific and institutional capacity to anticipate and cope with environmental change at all scales—local to global—with reduced social and economic disruption as well as anticipate and reduce resource-driven conflict, both inter- and internationally.
We should be all aware by now that to implement successful environmental policies you do not only need to tackle the problem of overpopulation and bad governance, but need to provide a framework of sustainable development. However sustainable development is a political, ethical, social issue as much as it is a technical issue. Thus more research therefore needs to be done in the ‘soft’ sciences - concerning norms, cultural values, political processes, and ‘institutions’ in the broader sense of the word.¹

In addition we are not satisfied with the quality of the submissions. Regretfully, some abstracts were rejected after many editing efforts made by our colleagues to edit their work did not yield a satisfactory abstracts that meets the scientific standards. At this point is does not seem appropriate for us to start a new platform of dialogue in the region related to this issue. It is quite a dilemma, but on the other hand we do not believe that people have a chance to develop, if we tell them "please stay at home, your contribution is not good enough". The idea of pursuing a PhD in a Western institution is to give the talented researchers the opportunity to learn and communicate with the scientific community in a meaningful and easy way. Unfortunately, this is not always the case as we have been experiencing with our abstracts.

The responsibility for this issue relies on both the countries that select the candidate and Western institutions that accept them. Our appeal would be to Western institutions in the future not to just care about the extra cash they receive from foreign governments or from just irresponsible "aid policies", but to also make sure that the candidate does reach the necessary standards to be sent back home with a PhD, qualification.

Maybe to spell it out straight forward almost all these abstracts where contributed by someone teaching students in tertiary institutions.
Now that should give a little room for thought and the hope for a paradigm change!
 

¹ McNeill, D. / García-Godos, J.: Academic experiences of interdisciplinary research, Centre for Development and the Environment (SUM), University of Oslo, Norway , 2005

Abstract ID

Title of Submission (A-C)

2006/ 042

A Comprehensive Approach to Drought and Desertification in Nigeria

2006/ 022

A Comprehensive Overview of Soil Salinization in Pakistan

2006/ 111

A Remote Sensing Approach to Improve Desertification
 Monitoring and Assessment

2006/ 088

A Study on the Effect of Potassium on Growth and Salt Tolerance
of Watermelon Cultivars

2006/ 115

A Study on Vegetation and Soil Properties in Degraded Rangelands for Reclamation and Sustainable Development – 
A Case Study from Sub Desert Sangar Tappeh Plain, Iran

2006/ 248

A Water Soluble Polysaccharide from Lupinus varius Seed

2006/ 178

Adoption and Abandonment of Rainfall Forecasting Reports by Farmers:
 A Case of Iran

2006/ 193

Agricultural Extension: Women and Dry Land Farming

2006/ 007

Agriculture and the Quality of Running Waters in Meknes Area, Morocco:
Impact on Environment and Health

2006/ 028

Agronomic Manipulations can Sustain Yield and
Improve Quality and Water Use Efficiency

2006/ 098

Agro-pastoral Systems in Cholistan

2006/ 143

An Assessment of Drinking Water Quality and Techniques for Recharging Urban Water System in Industrial Baroda City of Gujarat, India

2006/ 018

An Institutional and Legislative Approach
to Promoting Sustainable Holistic Development and Human Security

2006/ 004

An Integrated Approach to the Efficient Management of Scarce Freshwater Resources in Northwest and West Africa: The IMPETUS-Project

2006/ 054

An Investigation of Effective Factors Involved in Perception of Wheat Farmers Regarding On-Farm Demonstration in Isfahan Township, Iran

2006/ 117

An Investigation of Using Natural Material in Water Treatment

2006/ 184

An Overview of the Management and Mitigation of Drought
in Balochistan - Pakistan

2006/ 121

Analysis of some Meteorological Factors Affecting Rainfall
at Al Quds University Weather Station, Palestine

2006/ 069

Analysis Technical Knowledge of Farmers
Regarding Dryland Sustainable Agriculture in Khuzestan Province of Iran

2006/ 218

Analyzing Iranian National AKIS Strategies to Investigate How They Are Contributing to Combating Desertification in this Country

2006/ 038

Application of NOAA-AVHRR NDVI and Rainfall Time-Series to Assess Desertification in Central Asia

2006/ 020

Application of Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems to Monitoring and management of Maâmora Forest in North West, Morocco

2006/ 081

Application of Remote Sensing in the Survey of Deforestation in Semi-arid Land for the Struggle against Desertification - Case of the Region of Djelfa, Algeria

2006/ 125

Application of Sewage Sludge to Improve Soil Physical Properties
and Soil Water Availability in Arid Regions

2006/ 175

Appropriate Policy Options for Sustainable Agriculture As Perceived by Farmers of Hamadan Province, Iran

2006/ 245

Assessing Impacts of Caspian Sea Level Catastrophic Rise
on Land Degradation in Gorgan Bay Region, Iran

2006/ 298

Assessing the Costs of Environmental Degradation
in the Middle East and North Africa Region

2006/ 105

Assessing the Impact on Groundwater of Solute Transport
in Contaminated Soils Using Numerical and Analytical Models

2006/ 272

Assessment and Application of Microbial Diversity

2006/ 217

Assessment of Groundwater Resources in Taiz Area, Yemen

2006/ 169

Assessment of Irrigation and Drainage Water Management
for Sustainable Agricultural Development in Nile Delta

2006/ 052

Attitudes of Nahavand Township, Iran Wheat Farmers Toward On Farm Water Management (OFWM)

2006/ 264

Biocrusts Influence on Soil Infiltration in Aridlands

2006/ 058

Biodiversity Uses and Conservation in the Arab World

2006/ 227

Biological Integration of Farming Activities and Resource Management
in an Arid Agro-ecosystem in Rajasthan, India

2006/ 225

Biosorption of Stable Strontium and Strontium-90 (Radioactive) Using Cystoseira Indica Brown Alga in the Environmental Pollution Removal

2006/ 277

Calibration of Indices (Soil Properties) of the Soil Parameter in the Iranian Model of Desertification Potential Assessment (IMDPA)

2006/ 049

Can Quality of Arid Lands be Improved by Incorporation of Water Hyacinth: the Case of Sudan

2006/ 006

Challenges Facing Biodiversity of the United Arab Emirates

2006/ 213

Challenges in Response to Water Crisis in the Arab Region

2006/ 009

Challenges of Biodiversity in the Arab World

2006/ 200

Classification & Evaluation of Soil and Water Quality
at Wadi As-Saul Al-Kabir in Taif, Saudi Arabia

2006/ 060

Climate Change and Combating Desertification Project in the Arid Areas in the Marrakech Region (Morocco)

2006/ 002

Climate Change and Human Security in the GCC:
Implications for Vulnerability, Policy Response and Sustainable Development of the Affected Populace to Hydrological Changes in Saudi Arabia

2006/ 033

Climate Change Vulnerability, Hydrological Extremes and Risk Mitigation Initiatives in the MENA Region

2006/ 157

Combat Degradation and Desertification of Rain Fed Areas
in Northern Coastal Region of Egypt

2006/ 061

Combating Desertification in Morocco

2006/ 199

Comparative Application of Geostatistical Techniques for Determining Annual Rainfall: A Case Study of Southwestern Iran

2006/ 288

Complex Approach for the Definition of Risk-Factors
of Technogenous Systems in Flood Conditions

2006/ 240

Composting Method of Agricultural Refuse and Effects
of Compost on the Wheat and Corn Yield in Iranian Drylands

2006/ 268

Conserving Biological and Cultural Diversity in Drylands -
Best Practice Examples from East Africa and South America

2006/ 142

Contemporary Development of Dune Fields -
a Chance for Local Economic Growth? The Example of Southern Morocco

2006/ 131

Contribution to Study the Comparison of Vulnerability of Hydraulic Basins in Morocco to Impacts of Climate Change

Abstract ID

Title of Submission (D-F)

2006/ 048

Decomposition and Nutrient Release from Selected Agroforesty Tree Litters in the Semi-arid Tropics of Sudan

2006/ 026

Decomposition and Nutrient Release of Different Organic Residues under Sandy Soil of Western Omdurman

2006/ 265

Degradation and Violent Conflict:
Cases Studies from the Tuareg in Mali and Niger

2006/ 146

Degradation of Land Resources in the Old Lands of Egypt

2006/ 071

Desert & Development: Strategy for Future Development in Sindh

2006/ 278

Desert Agricultural Methods of the Bedouin

2006/ 003

Desertification and Animal Health in the Sahel -
Case Studies from Mali and Burkina Faso

2006/ 057

Desertification and Natural Resources Conservation: Approaches for Implementing Actions Programs in Souss Massa-Dra Région Watershed, South of Morocco

2006/ 127

Desertification Assessment
of Fidoye Garmosht Plain (Southern Iran) Using Medalus Approach

2006/ 040

Desertification in the Context of Human Domestication: The Endangering Endeavor of Endangered Humans Regarding Drylands

2006/ 044

Desertification in the Drylands of Nigeria and its Consequences on the Social Stability of the Region

2006/ 128

Desertification Trend in Yazd Province and its Mitigation Options -
Case Study of the Industrial Area of Meybod

2006/ 177

Determinants of Household Participation in Social Forestry
in Selected Arid Zone States of Northern Nigeria

2006/ 104

Determination of the Best Seeding Time for Atriplex Seeds (Atriplex conescens) in the Drylands of Tehran, Iran

2006/ 216

Determining of Drought periods in Arsanjan Region, Iran

2006/ 076

Developing Drought Tolerant and More Water-use Efficient Varieties of Cereal and Legume Crops for Dry Areas in West Asia and North Africa

2006/ 119

Development of Basin Approaches for Sustainable Management of Transboundary Rivers in the South Caucasus

2006/ 266

Direct and Indirect Impact of Tourism Industry on Drylands:
the Example of Southern Tunisia

2006/ 249

Distribution of Hair among Acacia tortilis Forssk (Hayne) Complex Growing
in the Red Sea Hills, South Eastern Egypt and North Eastern Sudan

2006/ 222

Documenting and Comparing Plant Species Diversity by Using Numerical and Parametric Methods in Khaje Kalat, Northeastern Iran

2006/ 126

Drought Analysis in Semiarid Areas: Case of the Wadi Mina Basin (Northwest Algeria)

2006/ 035

Drought Mitigation in Morocco:
Setting an Indicator for an Early Drought Warning

2006/ 172

Drought, the Collapse of Resource Access Regulation Mechanisms and Impact on Human Security Sudan’s Darfur Case

2006/ 270

Dryland Degradation in Saudi Arabia:
 A Long Story, Possible Solutions and Basic Problems

2006/ 220

Dynamic Causal Patterns of Desertification in the GCC countries – Implications of Cross-scalar Dynamics and Typical Pathways of Drylands Ecosystem Change in Saudi Arabia

2006/ 296

Economic Profitability, Comperative Advantage and International Competitveness of Gum Arabic in Sudan

2006/ 095

Eco-regeneration and Runoff Collection in Cholistan

2006/ 087

Effect of Drought Stress and Plant Density on Yield
as well as some Agronomic Traits of Maize (KSc301)

2006/ 135

Effect of Drought Stress on Quantitative and Qualitative Characteristics
of Autumnal Rape (Brassica napus L.) Cultivars

2006/ 122

Effect of Farmyard Manure, Potassium and Zinc on Wheat
under Rainfed Cropping Patterns

2006/ 230

Effect of Nutrient Seed Priming
on Emergence and Seedling Growth of Maize

2006/ 253

Effect of Polymulch Techniques on Chick Pea and Wheat Production
in Dry Land Agriculture of Bangladesh

2006/ 027

Effect of Seat Coating with Biogas Slurry, Inorganic Nutrients and Rhizobium on Growth and Yield of Rice Fallow Mungbean (Vigna radiata. (L) Wilczek)

2006/ 258

Effect of Seed Rate on the Grain Yield Potential
of Winter Cereals Under Rainfed Conditions of Peshawar, Pakistan

2006/ 133

Effect of Treated Wastewater and Irrigation Systems on Soil Chemical and Physical Properties in an Arid Region

2006/ 251

Effects of Converting Rangelands to Farming Land on Soil Quality
in West and Southwest Soils of Isfahan (Central Iran)

2006/ 226

Effects of Dry Farming Development on Surface Runoff Characteristics

2006/ 164

Effects of Osmopriming on Improving Deteriorated Seed of Hull and Hullness Barley (Hordeum Vulgare L.)

2006/ 161

Effects of Time of Seed Maturation on Dormancy and Germination Requirements of Two Important Desert Plants in the UAE

2006/ 140

Effects of Using Furrowers and Raised Bed Planting Systems
on Wheat Grain Yield in North of Khouzistan

2006/ 209

Effects of Wind Velocity, Operating Pressure and Sprinklers Spacing on Distribution Uniformity in a Sprinkler Irrigation System

2006/ 056

Empirical Models for the Assessment of Specific Sediment Yields in Reservoirs and Large Dams of Morocco

2006/ 180

Encouraging Local Women Participation
in Water Resources Management in Zanjanrood, Iran

2006/ 267

Environmental and Socio-economic Impact
of Desertification and Drylands Development:
An Empirical Investigation of some Selected States of Northern Nigeria

2006/ 255

Environmental Impact Assessment
of Gotvand Olia Hydroelectric Dam Using Overlays and GIS

2006/ 132

Environmental Impacts of Out Fall Drains on Soil of Badin Area,
Sindh, Pakistan

2006/ 271

Estimation of Monthly Discharge
Based on Thornthwait Water Balance Model in Semi-arid Region of Iran

2006/ 287

Estimation of Pollution Risk Factor
of Underground Water at the Time of Accidental Oil Spillage
by the Use of Mathematical Model

2006/ 286

Estimation of Relevant Ecological State of the Small Rivers of Georgia

2006/ 037

Evaluating Trends in Spatial Relationship between NOAA/AVHRR-NDVI and Rainfall as Computed by Geographically Weighted Regression: A Case Study from a Dry Region in the Middle Kazakhstan

2006/ 247

Evaluation of Chemical Weed Control in Wheat at Different Densities
and Sowing Methods under Rainfed Conditions

2006/ 174

Evaluation of Future Scenarios of Biomass Dynamics under Pastoral Conditions and Regional Water Balance Aspects for the Drâa Catchment in South-eastern Morocco

2006/ 181

Evaluation of Regional Policies on Sustainable Range Management, Using Integrated Optimization Model of Ecological, Socio-economic Factors: Case Study, Eastern Azarbayejan, Iran

2006/ 034

Evaluation of the Flood Risk Downstream of the Lagdo Dam in the Benoue Valley (Cameroon)

2006/ 114

Evaluation of Wind Erosion Hazard and Control Programming in Order to Combat Desertification: A Case Study: from Aghqalla-Gomishan Plane

2006/ 219

Exploration of Groundwater Resources in the Uplands of Wadi Rasyan,
Taiz, Yemen

2006/ 262

Facilitating Learning to Combat Desertification

2006/ 198

Factors Influencing the Adoption of Sustainable Soil Management Practices by Sugar Beet Growers in Northeast Iran

2006/ 124

Farmers' Perceptions toward the Privatization of Veterinary and Livestock Extension Services in Iran

2006/ 182

Flood Hazard Zoning Using Mathematical Model and GIS (A Case Study Jajrood River Tehran Province Iran)

2006/ 017

Floristic Study of Chepeghli Region in Markazi Province of Iran

2006/ 153

From Take-Off to Landing – the Application of Ecological Knowledge at a Major Airport Development in Abu Dhabi, UAE

2006/ 021

From the Micro-topography Organization to Runoff Modeling
and to Water Reservoir Management

Abstract ID

Title of Submission (G-L)

2006/ 090

Genetic Diversity of Some Faba Bean Landraces

2006/ 293

Geoecological Problems of Uzbekistan

2006/ 067

Geo-environmental Evaluation of Land and Water Resources
in Farafra Oasis, Western Desert of Egypt

2006/ 041

GIS, GPS and Remote Sensing Application to Investigate Agricultural Potential in Cholistan Desert

2006/ 150

Groundwater Overpumping and Recent Earthquakes in the Northern United Arab Emirates: A Natural Hazard Accentuated by Human Activity

2006/ 276

Guidelines and Tools for Evaluating Household Food Security in Drylands, North Kordofan-Sudan

2006/ 097