Community partnership as an approach to reducing environmental degradation

Desertification is a phenomenon of natural environmental degradation that threatens ecosystems globally. Numerous studies have explored the natural and human factors contributing to environmental degradation. Human activities can potentially accelerate or mitigate environmental degradation, particularly in marginal areas. When resources in these areas fail to meet the needs of local populations, human migration ensues, leading to the loss of vital human potential necessary for preserving biodiversity and ecosystems. This migration accelerates environmental degradation. Therefore, addressing the needs of local residents and improving their standard of living by leveraging the natural environment’s potential is crucial. This approach fosters a strong connection between the population and their communities, encouraging efforts to preserve and develop environmental resources as a foundation for sustainability. Consequently, strategies for developing marginal areas and conserving their environmental and human resources should be prioritized in policies aimed at combating environmental degradation and the associated desertification problems linked to human migration. Discussing development projects based on community participation as an approach to growth in isolated areas to protect them from environmental degradation with a comparative analysis methodology, examining five case studies from Arab, regional, and international contexts in similar areas. The aim is to identify their characteristics and success factors, highlighting the role of community partnership in conserving the environment. Various aspects are discussed, including the administrative structure, participating parties in financing, strategies, scope of work, and the returns and benefits from these experiences, followed by a deductive approach to extract research results from the outputs of the previous analysis processes.