CSFD French Scientific Committee on Desertification

This committee has been created in 1997 by the ministerial departments in charge of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development, Ministry for Higher Education and Ministry of Research). The Committee is made up of 19 well-known figures (researchers, university teachers and experts from different public and private organizations), representing several fields: human sciences, economy, geography, meteorology, soil sciences, water, ecology, agrarian and pastoral systems… The CSFD is funded by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development and the French Development Agency (about 100 000 euros/year), with the complimentary participation of researchers and university teachers from public bodies.