DRI scientist named to U.N. expert panel studying deserts

Friday, Oct. 25, 2002 | 10:11 a.m.

A Desert Research Institute arid lands scientist and remote sensing specialist has been appointed to a three-year assignment on a United Nations expert panel studying ways to combat the spread of deserts.

David Mouat, a 15-year DRI geoecologist, is one of 25 scientists and natural resource managers selected worldwide to develop a work plan on land use and land management issues for the U.N. convention.

The problem of increasing aridity extends beyond the familiar conditions in sub-Saharan Africa, he said. The spread of deserts includes every continent, including North America.

"Appropriate land use practices can reduce or reverse the processes of desertification in many situations," Mouat said, adding that complex climate, management practices, economic and political factors must be understood before effective strategies are developed.

Mouat is based in Reno and plans to attend his first U.N. meeting in Hamburg, Germany, during early November. The experts will begin to identify issues for a work plan.

Desertification in arid and semi-arid areas results from a combination of natural causes and human influences, degrading the land, Mouat said.

The U.N. group will attempt to understand the degradation process with ways to help communities sustain livelihoods in arid lands.

Mouat has worked on how arid landscapes respond to human and natural influences. His recent work included advising the Department of Defense on developing alternatives to protecting fragile desert scapes while continuing troop training in arid areas.

The Desert Research Institute is a nonprofit, statewide division of the University of Nevada and Community College System. It has facilities in Las Vegas and Reno.