Evaluation and Selection of Indicators for Land Degradation and Desertification Monitoring: Methodological Approach

Abstract

An approach to derive relationships for defining land degradation and desertification risk and developing appropriate tools for assessing the effectiveness of the various land management practices using indicators is presented in the present paper. In order to investigate which indicators are most effective in assessing the level of desertification risk, a total of 70 candidate indicators was selected providing information for the biophysical environment, socio-economic conditions, and land management characteristics. The indicators were defined in 1,672 field sites located in 17 study areas in the Mediterranean region, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Based on an existing geo-referenced database, classes were designated for each indicator and a sensitivity score to desertification was assigned to each class based on existing research. The obtained data were analyzed for the various processes of land degradation at farm level. The derived methodology was assessed using independent indicators, such as the measured soil erosion rate, and the organic matter content of the soil. Based on regression analyses, the collected indicator set can be reduced to a number of effective indicators ranging from 8 to 17 in the various processes of land degradation. Among the most important indicators identified as affecting land degradation and desertification risk were rain seasonality, slope gradient, plant cover, rate of land abandonment, land-use intensity, and the level of policy implementation.

Estimation of desertification risk from soil erosion: a case study for Gansu Province, China

“…By incorporating four groups of indicators (soil, climate, vegetative cover, and human management), Benabderrahmane and Chenchouni (2010) indicated that human activities including agriculture and overgrazing were the major factors in accelerating desertification, followed by type of vegetative cover and climate, for eastern Algeria. Kosmas et al (2014) noted that rain seasonality, terrain slopes, vegetative cover, and intensities of land use were the most important desertification indicators. Kairis et al (2013) also agreed that indicators associated with soil erosion, water stress, salinization, and forest fires were the most important for assessing desertification.…”

Model Prediction of Secondary Soil Salinization in the Keriya Oasis, Northwest China

“…For selection of appropriate indicators to populate each Driver, Pressure, and State variable in the simulation model, we reviewed previously published literature about soil salinization related to sociological, ecological and environmental systems [11,12,57,58]. This provided major variable sources for the model.…”

The Socio-Ecological Dynamics of Human Responses in a Land Degradation-Affected Region: The Messara Valley (Crete, Greece)

“…A vast literature underlines their importance and the strong policy interest in their effectiveness, in general, and in 'best practices' in particular [1][2][3]. There is a growing awareness, also within specialized scientific disciplines, that relevant research cannot be conducted anymore in isolation.…”