Land degradation means a loss of management options

Barrio, Gabriel del; Sanjuán, María Eugenia González; Martínez‐Valderrama, Jaime; Ruiz, Alberto; Puigdefábregas, Juan

doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2021.104502

Cited by 15 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…With respect to synergies, the One Out, All Out (1OAO) principle facilitates rough overall evaluation based on qualitative relationships between land use and vegetation productivity. Nonetheless, it does not account for feedback between these variables by which one may influence the other to a point that affects land suitability and subsequent loss of management options (del Barrio, Sanjuán, et al, 2021). In general, that diverges from the paradigm relating desertification to change of state within concrete land uses (Bestelmeyer et al, 2015), rather than between them.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Land use intensification affects the relative importance of climate variation and active land degradation: Convergence of six regions around the world

et al. 2022

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We explored the relative importance of climate oscillations and human‐driven disturbances on the change in vegetation biomass in agroecosystems, and whether it is associated with land use. Our main contribution is a quantitative treatment of these factors in equivalent terms, i.e. not assuming any of them to be principal. The study was carried out in the drylands of the Iberian Peninsula, NW Maghreb, Palestinian West Bank, Mozambique, China and NE Brazil, using satellite time‐series and the corresponding climate fields, at ten‐year observation periods with spatial and temporal resolutions of 1000 m (250 m in Palestine) and one year, respectively. For each region, we separated the relative weights of climate and time by fitting multiple‐stepwise regressions to a vegetation index as the dependent variable, and annual aridity (Aridity) and year number (Time) as predictors. The relative strength of the resulting standard partial regression coefficients was then compared by the Wilcoxon signed ranks test, and their combined associations with land uses were determined using Chi‐square tests. Some points of convergence are as follows: (1) The relative weights of Aridity and Time depend on particular regional conditions and can be determined. (2) Such weights are associated with land use intensification, such that if vegetation increases over Time, Aridity increases its relative importance with intensification; if vegetation is degrading, Aridity is always more important than Time. (3) Aridity is an indicator of vulnerability to climate warming. Resilience can be improved by reducing land use intensification. 4. Vulnerability may worsen under constant climate if agriculture is intensified. These patterns enhance an integrated understanding of Sustainable Development Goals Indicator 15.3.1, particularly its land cover and productivity trend components.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Land use intensification affects the relative importance of climate variation and active land degradation: Convergence of six regions around the world

et al. 2022

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“…What is really at stake is the short-term vision of land management, which seeks to maximize the flow of primary productivity of ecosystems [61] to the detriment of a vision that fully contemplates and values natural capital. The conflict is ethical in scope and the transition to a more sustainable world, in which individual well-being increases and humanity prospers rather than survives, requires a shift away from current economic measures [62].…”

Section: Perspectives Under a New Pandmentioning

confidence: 99%

Desertification in Spain: A Sound Diagnosis without Solutions and New Scenarios

Martínez‐Valderrama

Barrio

Sanjuán

et al. 2022

Land

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The latest world atlas of desertification represents a turning point in the diagnosis of desertification. While it forgoes desertification mapping due to the intrinsic complexity of the phenomenon and the impossibility of measuring it using a single indicator, it introduces the convergence of evidence paradigm, which identifies socioeconomic and biophysical variables whose behaviour allows pointing out those areas prone to desertification. The Spanish National Action Program Against Desertification (PAND), back in 2008, already implemented a similar approach to identify five “desertification landscapes” within Spain using both socio-economic and climatic information. The PAND was not only pioneering but also, unfortunately, accurate. Desertification in Spain has continued to worsen and the first two decades of the 21st century have consolidated an agri-food model whose dynamics have exacerbated the desertification processes identified in the PAND. Despite its scientific value, the PAND lacked a proper action plan and was completely detached from the diagnosis. As a result, the diagnosis it provided was not followed by effective actions to halt desertification in Spain. The Spanish government’s recent declaration of climate and environmental emergency requires a new strategy to combat desertification. This commitment is an excellent opportunity to update the diagnosis of the situation and, more crucially, to unify the different desertification sectoral policies and actions under a single front. We provide here elements (e.g., analysis of agri-food trends and integration of plans and policies at different geographical and sectoral levels) for a roadmap to be designed around the pressures, impacts, and drivers that define today’s Spanish desertification landscapes to effectively manage and avoid their further degradation.

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“…What is really at stake is the short-term vision of land management, which seeks to maximize the flow of primary productivity of ecosystems [60], to the detriment of a vision that fully contemplates and values natural capital. The conflict is ethical in scope and the transition to a more sustainable world, in which individual well-being increases and humanity prospers rather than survives, requires a shift away from current economic measures [61].…”

Section: The Consequences Of Ignoring An Accurate Diagnosismentioning

confidence: 99%

Desertification in Spain: A Sound Diagnosis Unfollowed by Solutions

Martínez‐Valderrama¹,

Barrio²,

Sanjuán³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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The latest World Atlas of Desertification represents a turning point in the diagnosis of desertification. While it forgoes desertification mapping due to the intrinsic complexity of the phenomenon and the impossibility of measuring it using a single indicator, it introduces the Convergence of Evidence paradigm, which identifies socioeconomic and biophysical variables whose behavior allows pointing out those areas prone to desertification. The Spanish National Action Program Against Desertification (PAND), back to 2008, already implemented a similar approach to identify five “desertification landscapes” within Spain using both socio-economic and climatic information. The PAND was not only pioneering but also, unfortunately, accurate. Desertification in Spain has continued to worsen and the first two decades of the 21st century have consolidated an agri-food model whose dynamics have exacerbated the desertification processes identified in the PAND. Despite its scientific value, the PAND lacked a proper action plan and was completely detached from the diagnosis. As a result the diagnosis it provided was not followed by effective actions to halt desertification in Spain. The Spanish Government's recent declaration of climate and environmental emergency requires a new strategy to combat desertification. This commitment is an excellent opportunity to update the diagnosis of the situation and, more crucially, to unify the different desertification sectoral policies and actions under a single front. We provide here elements for a roadmap to be designed around the pressures, impacts, and drivers that define today's Spanish desertification landscapes to manage them effectively and avoid their further degradation.

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Land degradation means a loss of management options

Cited by 15 publications

References 50 publications

Land use intensification affects the relative importance of climate variation and active land degradation: Convergence of six regions around the world

Land use intensification affects the relative importance of climate variation and active land degradation: Convergence of six regions around the world

Desertification in Spain: A Sound Diagnosis without Solutions and New Scenarios

Desertification in Spain: A Sound Diagnosis Unfollowed by Solutions

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