Sustainable development of pastoral and agro-pastoral systems, dominated by collective and/or tribal ownership of rangelands, is a key issue for the WANA region. These two systems are located in arid areas and are increasingly threatened by desertification process. The policy responses to tackle this complexity have been sectorial and fragmented, 'top-down' type, putting forward technical solutions and neglecting the social con-text. In response to the frequent failures, methods of 'participatory development' emerged during the 1970s within international development arena. Adoption of participatory approaches by national governments appears not only partial, but also particularly slow. Recent experiences suggest that integrated and participatory approaches may lead to more efficient resources management and to more effective poverty reduction policies. Local development is the most recent approach to face these challenges. It aims at organizing people on a decentralized basis and at promoting participatory programming which could lead to an effective responsibility sharing by the local people. Donors and governments have not, so far, given a fair chance to decentralization to fulfil its promises of efficient, equitable and sustainable development. In addition, it has often been observed that responsibilities were transferred to local population without the means to carry them out. The collaborative research conducted by ICARDA and IFAD in Southern Tunisia has led to the development of tools and methods adapted to the development of collective desert rangelands based on empowerment of local rural poor communities and using participatory methods. The pilot action showed that participatory natural resources management in such areas can be instrumental in institutionalizing participatory approaches. In both democratic and non-democratic settings, these approaches foster inclusiveness, transparency and accountability of public services and policy-making processes. The to