Usually land degradation is considered most problematic in developing countries which face complex socio-economic and policy problems. The study of land degradation in drylands or in other words,desertification research, is relevant if it helps to solve problems in the shortest possible time.

This Townhall meeting would like to address the difference between two aspects: the process of doing research and the outcomes of this research. Desertification publications and funded scientific projects have increased in the last decades. But there is still a need for impact on society. For that, researchers should not only be cited in SCI journals, they have to be read and heard by other stakeholders having the possibility to use and apply this knowledge.

The meeting is organised by members of the EU COST Action dealing with Arid Lands Restoration and Combat of Desertification and members of the scientific network Desertnet International. It is devoted to i) discussing the extent to which researchers are taking socio-economic and policy perspectives into account in their scientific activities, and ii) discussing the possible means for evaluating and considering
other important activities of researchers related to the application
of scientific knowledge and awareness raising.

Co-organised by Artemi Cerdà, Benz Kotzen and Lindsay Stringer