World leaders must promote effective land use methods to mitigate drought, says Luc Gnacadja of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.

Ambitious plans for a 'desert development corridor' in Egypt could provide a concrete example of the social value of science, says Athar Osama.

Planting trees in dryland regions can negatively impact biodiversity, and policies must promote the practice on a smaller scale.

Growing dryland populations are depleting their natural resources, while increasingly-settled agriculture ignores the traditional knowledge needed to tackle future uncertainties, says David Thomas.