All African countries are prone to desertification, with the Sahelian countries on the southern fringes of the Sahara Desert being particularly vulnerable. Rapid population growth, rapid urbanization, unsustainable land-use systems and climate variation, coupled with a dearth of clear policy and legislative frameworks, weak institutional capacities and limited funding are all-important contributing factors to the rapid degradation of the continent's ecosystems and loss of important habitats. Habitat and ecosystem degradation in effect jeopardizes the provision of basic services, such as health and education, as well as water, agricultural production and productivity, economic growth and job creation, and ultimately, the quality of human life.