Application of indicator systems for monitoring and assessment of desertification from national to global scales

Sommer, Stefan; Zucca, Claudio; Grainger, Alan; Michael, Cherlet; Zougmoré, Robert B.; Sokona, Youba; Hill, Joachim; Peruta, Raniero Della; Roehrig, J.; Wang, G.

doi:10.1002/ldr.1084

Cited by 133 publications

(79 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Several methods have been successfully applied for desertification analysis based on indicators and indices (Kepner et al, 2006;Sommer et al, 2011). For instance, the MEDALUS methodology, developed for the European Mediterranean environment, is widely used because of its simplicity and flexibility.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying areas susceptible to desertification in the Brazilian northeast

et al. 2015

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Abstract. Approximately 57 % of the Brazilian northeast region is recognized as semi-arid land and has been undergoing intense land use processes in the last decades, which have resulted in severe degradation of its natural assets. Therefore, the objective of this study is to identify the areas that are susceptible to desertification in this region based on the 11 influencing factors of desertification (pedology, geology, geomorphology, topography data, land use and land cover change, aridity index, livestock density, rural population density, fire hot spot density, human development index, conservation units) which were simulated for two different periods: 2000 and 2010. Each indicator were assigned weights ranging from 1 to 2 (representing the best and the worst conditions), representing classes indicating low, moderate and high susceptibility to desertification. The results indicate that 94 % of the Brazilian northeast region is under moderate to high susceptibility to desertification. The areas that were susceptible to soil desertification increased by approximately 4.6 % (83.4 km 2 ) from 2000 to 2010. The implementation of the methodology provides the technical basis for decisionmaking that involves mitigating actions and the first comprehensive national assessment within the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification framework.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying areas susceptible to desertification in the Brazilian northeast

et al. 2015

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“…The various definitions of, and perspectives on, desertification will not be repeated here but their sheer existence is indicative of the fact that it is still difficult to identify a unifying explanation of the causes of desertification (e.g. Schwilch, 2011;Sommer, 2011;Reynolds et al, 2011;Verstraete et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bush encroachment monitoring using multi-temporal Landsat data and random forests

Symeonakis

Higginbottom

2014

Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci.

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ABSTRACT:It is widely accepted that land degradation and desertification (LDD) are serious global threats to humans and the environment. Around a third of savannahs in Africa are affected by LDD processes that may lead to substantial declines in ecosystem functioning and services. Indirectly, LDD can be monitored using relevant indicators. The encroachment of woody plants into grasslands, and the subsequent conversion of savannahs and open woodlands into shrublands, has attracted a lot of attention over the last decades and has been identified as a potential indicator of LDD. Mapping bush encroachment over large areas can only effectively be done using Earth Observation (EO) data and techniques. However, the accurate assessment of large-scale savannah degradation through bush encroachment with satellite imagery remains a formidable task due to the fact that on the satellite data vegetation variability in response to highly variable rainfall patterns might obscure the underlying degradation processes.Here, we present a methodological framework for the monitoring of bush encroachment-related land degradation in a savannah environment in the Northwest Province of South Africa. We utilise multi-temporal Landsat TM and ETM+ (SLC-on) data from 1989 until 2009, mostly from the dry-season, and ancillary data in a GIS environment. We then use the machine learning classification approach of random forests to identify the extent of encroachment over the 20-year period. The results show that in the area of study, bush encroachment is as alarming as permanent vegetation loss. The classification of the year 2009 is validated yielding low commission and omission errors and high k-statistic values for the grasses and woody vegetation classes. Our approach is a step towards a rigorous and effective savannah degradation assessment.

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“…Land condition results from coupled humaneenvironmental processes; assessing land management should therefore consider biophysical as well as socioeconomic and cultural criteria that relate to ecosystem services and to human well-being (UNCCD, 2009; Schwilch et al, 2011;Sommer et al, 2011). Furthermore, sustainable management goals are based on social values, which can be effectively captured and used via participatory approaches .…”

Section: Assessment Criteria and Indicatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other potential criteria to be considered that relate to provisioning services and to socioeconomic and cultural aspects, which vary greatly between sites and regions, are generally best addressed by site-specific criteria proposed by local stakeholders. Framing the selection of indicators by the ecosystem services concept provides a common currency that facilitates global, across-site, and context analyses of the participatory process and the assessment outcomes (e.g., Sommer et al, 2011;Papanastasis et al, 2015;Schleyer et al, 2015;Maesa et al, 2016).…”

Section: Assessment Criteria and Indicatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating knowledge exchange and the assessment of dryland management alternatives – A learning-centered participatory approach

Bautista

Campanyà

Ocampo‐Melgar

et al. 2017

Journal of Environmental Management

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a b s t r a c tThe adoption of sustainable land management strategies and practices that respond to current climate and human pressures requires both assessment tools that can lead to better informed decision-making and effective knowledge-exchange mechanisms that facilitate new learning and behavior change. We propose a learning-centered participatory approach that links land management assessment and knowledge exchange and integrates science-based data and stakeholder perspectives on both biophysical and socio-economic attributes. We outline a structured procedure for a transparent assessment of land management alternatives, tailored to dryland management, that is based on (1) principles of constructivism and social learning, (2) the participation of stakeholders throughout the whole assessment process, from design to implementation, and (3) the combination of site-specific indicators, identified by local stakeholders as relevant to their particular objectives and context conditions, and science-based indicators that represent ecosystem services of drylands worldwide. The proposed procedure follows a pattern of eliciting, challenging, and self-reviewing stakeholder perspectives that aims to facilitate learning. The difference between the initial baseline perspectives and the final self-reviewed stakeholder perspectives is used as a proxy of learning. We illustrate the potential of this methodology by its application to the assessment of land uses in a Mediterranean fire-prone area in East Spain. The approach may be applied to a variety of socio-ecological systems and decision-making and governance scales.

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Application of indicator systems for monitoring and assessment of desertification from national to global scales

Cited by 133 publications

References 32 publications

Identifying areas susceptible to desertification in the Brazilian northeast

Identifying areas susceptible to desertification in the Brazilian northeast

Bush encroachment monitoring using multi-temporal Landsat data and random forests

Integrating knowledge exchange and the assessment of dryland management alternatives – A learning-centered participatory approach

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