THE LEGAL PROTECTION OF SOIL AGAINST DESERTIFICATION IN SOUTHERN ANGOLA: ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES, HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY AND THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAW

Abstract

Desertification is one of the most severe and least reversible processes of environmental degradation affecting southern Angola, particularly in the provinces of Cunene, Huíla, Namibe and Cuando Cubango. This article examines the legal protection of soil against this phenomenon along three axes: (i) the environmental and climatic characterisation of desertification in the region, (ii) human responsibility linked to unsustainable land-use practices, overgrazing, deforestation and uncontrolled burning, and (iii) the adequacy and limits of the Angolan and international environmental legal framework. Drawing on a qualitative methodology of documentary analysis and secondary data from governmental and international sources (Angola's Ministry of Environment, UNCCD, UNDP, OCHA), the study shows that, despite a comparatively dense legal framework the Constitution, the Environmental Framework Law, the Land Law, and the Law on Land-Use Planning and Urbanism structural deficits of normative effectiveness, enforcement and inter-sectoral coordination persist, undermining effective legal protection of soil. The article concludes that a dedicated legal regime for soil conservation and desertification control is needed, equipped with clear sanctioning mechanisms, economic incentives for sustainable land management, and greater participation of local pastoral communities in environmental governance.