{"title":"Desertification is a prisoner of history: An essay on why young scientists should care","authors":"James F. Reynolds","doi":"10.7818/ecos.2302","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Since its origins, the concept of desertification has been shrouded in controversy and ambiguity. As a result, no single definition of the term has been acceptable; there is no agreement on its extent or seriousness; and the solutions proposed are often disparate and counterproductive. This essay suggests all of this is due to the concept of desertification being a permanent ‘prisoner of history’, a historical process led by the United Nations Convention on Desertification (UNCCD). In this essay, I describe why the prisoner of history narrative applies to the concept of desertification. To do this, I review the historical events that built a metaphorical prison for desertification; show why definitions of the term ‘desertification’ are products of this prison; describe how so much misunderstanding and confusion in this field has led to real, negative consequences; and lastly, provide recommendations to young scientists as to how to avoid becoming incarcerated in this prison.","PeriodicalId":51825,"journal":{"name":"Ecosistemas","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.7000,"publicationDate":"2021-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"4","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Ecosistemas","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.7818/ecos.2302","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"ECOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 4
Abstract
Since its origins, the concept of desertification has been shrouded in controversy and ambiguity. As a result, no single definition of the term has been acceptable; there is no agreement on its extent or seriousness; and the solutions proposed are often disparate and counterproductive. This essay suggests all of this is due to the concept of desertification being a permanent ‘prisoner of history’, a historical process led by the United Nations Convention on Desertification (UNCCD). In this essay, I describe why the prisoner of history narrative applies to the concept of desertification. To do this, I review the historical events that built a metaphorical prison for desertification; show why definitions of the term ‘desertification’ are products of this prison; describe how so much misunderstanding and confusion in this field has led to real, negative consequences; and lastly, provide recommendations to young scientists as to how to avoid becoming incarcerated in this prison.
期刊介绍:
ECOSISTEMAS es la revista científica de ecología y medio ambiente de la Asociación Española de Ecología Terrestre. Desde el año 2001 se publica exclusivamente en formato electrónico cada cuatro meses. La revista publica artículos científicos originales sobre ecología y medio ambiente incluyendo investigación sobre organismos, poblaciones, comunidades y ecosistemas, interacciones biológicas, paleoecología, ecofisiología, eco-evolución y procesos ecosistémicos, así como sobre perturbaciones antropogénicas y sus efectos a nivel ecológico y ambiental. Todas las contribuciones deben ser originales y no haber sido publicadas previamente en la literatura científica. Serán considerados para su publicación solamente trabajos de índole científica que presenten datos nuevos analizados de forma adecuada o trabajos novedosos de revisión bibliográfica que constituyan una aportación importante al tema. Los trabajos descriptivos sin una interpretación y discusión detallada del significado ecológico que puede extraerse de los resultados escritos, los que reflejen una opinión personal, o que sean puramente especulativos sin resultados claros que apoyen las conclusiones descritas, serán rechazados a nivel editorial. Todas las contribuciones son publicadas en castellano, con título, resumen y pies de figuras y tablas también en inglés. Nuestro objetivo es ser la revista científica de ecología y medio ambiente de referencia para los países y comunidades hispanohablantes. No se repercute tasa o coste alguno a los autores en concepto de gestión o publicación de sus propuestas.