Search

Deserts are areas of great landform diversity and distinctiveness. In the past there was a shortage of desert World Heritage nominations. This situation persists, though shows some improvement. However, there are also desert landform complexes associated with mixed World Heritage sites and sites on various national World Heritage tentative lists. There are also two desert UNESCO Global Geoparks, both of which are in China. In recent years there has been the development of geotourism in arid regions and this has led to a greater interest in the economic value of geoconservation. However, there are various landscape threats that need consideration and management, including off-road driving, military activity, urbanization, river diversions, quarrying and mining, development associated with energy industries, and anthropogenic climate changes. In this paper, the concentration is on warm desert landscapes, and on conservation of geomorphological features, rather than, for instance, sites of particular stratigraphic or paleontological value.

Prior to devolution, a significant majority of Scots believed that their new parliament would greatly improve the performance of the Scottish economy. We show that, in the subsequent twenty-five years, performance has been mixed. In some areas, Scotland's relative economic performance has improved particularly relative to an increasingly unequal UK economic model. But against key international competitors, and in areas where the parliament has levers to improve performance – such as in exports, business growth, investment, and entrepreneurship – Scotland's economy continues to lag. This is despite a raft of strategies, working groups and action plans. In reality beyond the presentation, policy agendas have remained remarkably similar to where they were back in 1999. Some exceptions exist, including most notably a greater weight upon the environment. But the lack of rigorous evaluation or review of delivery of strategy suggests that, in many ways, the economics of devolution has been more about style than substance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]