1997 FWOC Resolution
No. 17:
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SUPPORT FOR RATIFICATION OF THE U.N. CONVENTION
TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION AND DROUGHT
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In 1994 the United Nations
adopted the first global treaty to address land and water management
worldwide, known as the Convention to Combat Desertification and
Drought. It is complementary to the conventions on Global Climate
Change and Biodiversity. Over 110 countries have ratified the
convention. The U.S. is one of the few remaining countries who
have not yet ratified the convention.
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Desertification is the
degradation, through human and environmental factors, of the arid and
semi-arid lands to the point where vegetation and flora and fauna
habitat can no longer be sustained. It is not about deserts in
hyperarid regions, but includes lands which serve as wetlands and
agricultural lands in many parts of the world. In North America,
74 percent of the drylands are moderately or severely degraded through
poor farming and water management practices, livestock overgrazing,
ineffective land use laws and population growth. Other causes
include unsustainable land practices such as monocropping on fragile
lands inappropriate land clearing and deforestation, leading to soil
erosion.
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The consequences of
desertification to plant, animal and human communities is dramatic,
resulting in profound ecologic, economic and social dislocation.
The loss of vegetation contributes to both global climate change and
the loss of biodiversity. Human populations are forced to leave
their homelands and search for other agricultural lands, inevitably
encroaching on pristine wildlife areas.
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The Desertification
Convention addresses the global nature of this problem and involves
local groups, communities and national governments in environmental
action programs to combat desertification.
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The Federation of Western
Outdoor Clubs supports efforts to promote the U.S. ratification of the
U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought. F.W.O.C.
urges the U.S. Congressional Foreign Relations Committee to hold
hearings and ratify this treaty.
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F.W.O.C. member clubs and members are
urged to send this resolution to: Senator Jess Helms, Chairman,
U.S. Congressional Foreign Relations Committee, U.S. Senate Building,
Washington, DC 20005
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