Through comprehensive watershed management, soil and water resources of drylands can be managed to sustain the productive capacity of the land and to better cope with water scarcity and the extremes of droughts and floods. The sparse and erratic nature of precipitation in drylands limits opportunities to enhance water yield from watersheds. Water supplies can be augmented in some instances through vegetation manipulation, water harvesting and other methods. Large scale reservoirs, upon which so many in drylands depend, benefit from sound watershed management that reduces sediment export from both uplands and riparian systems.

The key to sustaining productivity of uplands and downstream areas is to manage land and water resources in concert with one another. Accounting for the economic value of water and the costs incurred to restore degraded watersheds (halt desertification) represents economic benefits of protecting soil and water resources. A comprehensive approach is necessary that promotes cooperation among stakeholders and that minimizes conflicts over land and water management. Implementing these ideas, which constitutes the watershed management approach, hinges on institutional and policy support.