ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the contemporary environmental challenges facing drylands in southern Africa. This is achieved through first considering the distinctive physical and environmental properties of drylands, including their history and evolution, which make them susceptible to the impacts of environmental change. The chapter also discusses selected dryland regions of southern Africa, in order to highlight the unique character and environmental issues affecting these regions. Water resources are linked very closely to land surface management. Land degradation in dryland areas is genetically linked to unsustainable land use practices in association with unfavourable climate regimes. Cooperation and indigenous knowledge systems can help with farming adaptations to climate change in dryland areas. Within the southern African dryland zone, different countries have adopted different land conservation and management approaches. Dynamic climate models have become the primary tools for the projection of future climate change.
