Dust and sand storms are typical features of any desert. The absence of vegetation, ample availability of sand and fine material, arid conditions and high wind speeds generate sand storms not only locally but also on a large-scale sometimes with intercontinental impacts. Dust storms are also a symptom of inappropriate land use under specific climate conditions.

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Desertification of drylands is a global problem in both developed and developing countries. Desertification affects human life on many levels. China is one of the seriously affected countries with vast areas of desertification. Dust and sand storms are threats for drylands as well as for megacities. Dust is transported over vast distances. During the past decades major measures to combat desertification were established in the northern provinces.

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Savannas are the most common vegetation type of the tropics and the subtropics. They are home to the largest African human population. This landscape type is increasingly endangered by degradation, but only little is known about the mechanisms of a sustainable land use. The "good practise" case of the Himba pastoralists in north-western Namibia is used to match indigenous and scientific knowledge on spatial aspects of land management.

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Namibia is the driest country in sub-Saharan Africa. The extremely arid Namibian interior is drained by ephemeral rivers that briefly flow only after heavy rains have fallen in their catchments. Of the rain that does fall, most water evaporates, and only 17 % becomes part of the ecosystem of ephemeral river basins. With 25 such ephemeral river basins covering Namibia, their effective management is the key for sustaining life and livelihood in this arid country.

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Tropical Africa is undergoing a period of rapid urbanisation, caused by high birth rates and a tremendous rural-urban migration, in combination with a dramatic physical expansion of the cities. The functional and social transition of the urban structure is accompanied by the disability of urban planning institutions to cope with the new challenges. This is giving rise to an extensive informal economy, wide-ranging areas of squatter settlements as well as the increase of poverty and socio-economic disparities.

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“Eritrea” and “Tourism” seem to be a contradiction in terms. After a brutal war between 1998 and 2000 about disputed border areas between Eritrea and neighbouring Ethiopia, the process of economic development in Eritrea had to start from scratch a second time within a decade. The situation between the two countries is still tense. And yet, the intention of the article is to reflect upon tourism as a potential for the future development of Eritrea.

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