Achieving land degradation neutrality: The role of SLM knowledge in evidence-based decision-making

Liniger, Hanspeter; Harari, Nicole; Lynden, Godert van; Fleiner, Renate; Leeuw, Jan De; Bai, Z.G.; Critchley, William

doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2019.01.001

Cited by 59 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Agricultural intensification and sustainable land management (SLM) are keys to halt and reverse LD [18][19][20]. One major constraint that prevents action is the lack of spatial information on the extent and magnitude of LD [18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Land Degradation in Semiarid Tanzania—Using Multiscale Remote Sensing Datasets to Support Sustainable Development Goal 15.3

et al. 2021

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Monitoring land degradation (LD) to improve the measurement of the sustainable development goal (SDG) 15.3.1 indicator (“proportion of land that is degraded over a total land area”) is key to ensure a more sustainable future. Current frameworks rely on default medium-resolution remote sensing datasets available to assess LD and cannot identify subtle changes at the sub-national scale. This study is the first to adapt local datasets in interplay with high-resolution imagery to monitor the extent of LD in the semiarid Kiteto and Kongwa (KK) districts of Tanzania from 2000–2019. It incorporates freely available datasets such as Landsat time series and customized land cover and uses open-source software and cloud-computing. Further, we compared our results of the LD assessment based on the adopted high-resolution data and methodology (AM) with the default medium-resolution data and methodology (DM) suggested by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. According to AM, 16% of the area in KK districts was degraded during 2000–2015, whereas DM revealed total LD on 70% of the area. Furthermore, based on the AM, overall, 27% of the land was degraded from 2000–2019. To achieve LD neutrality until 2030, spatial planning should focus on hotspot areas and implement sustainable land management practices based on these fine resolution results.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Land Degradation in Semiarid Tanzania—Using Multiscale Remote Sensing Datasets to Support Sustainable Development Goal 15.3

et al. 2021

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“…In view of several environmental consequences of the archetype driven by terrain characteristics, avoiding degradation-prone rugged terrain is key to maintaining the remaining biomass of the zone. Investing in SLM structures such as land levelling, terracing, and contour farming are critical to tackling LD [97,98], particularly on agricultural landscapes like the NGS, where engagement in farming remains necessary for livelihood sustenance [12,13], and biodiversity and natural conditions are threatened largely by agricultural expansion [13]. Terracing and high-altitude afforestation for erosion control, for example, have been recognized to reduce loss of soil and LD on sloped terrain [99].…”

Section: Archetypes and Sustainable Land Management (Slm)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Social-Ecological Archetypes of Land Degradation in the Nigerian Guinea Savannah: Insights for Sustainable Land Management

Adenle

Speranza

2020

Remote Sensing

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The Nigerian Guinea Savannah is the most extensive ecoregion in Nigeria, a major food production area, and contains many biodiversity protection areas. However, there is limited understanding of the social-ecological features of its degraded lands and potential insights for sustainable land management and governance. To fill this gap, the self-organizing map method was applied to identify the archetypes of both proximal and underlying drivers of land degradation in this region. Using 12 freely available spatial datasets of drivers of land degradation—4 environmental; 3 socio-economic; and 5 land-use management practices, the identified archetypes were intersected with the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)-derived land-degradation status of the region, and the state administrative boundaries. Nine archetypes were identified. Archetypes are dominated by: (1) protected areas; (2) very high-density population; (3) moderately high information/knowledge access; (4) low literacy levels and moderate–high poverty levels; (5) rural remoteness; (6) remoteness from a major road; (7) very high livestock density; (8) moderate poverty level and nearly level terrain; and (9) very rugged terrain and remote from a major road. Four archetypes characterized by very high-density population, moderate–high information/knowledge access, and moderate–high poverty level, as well as remoteness from a major town, were associated with 61.3% large-area degradation; and the other five archetypes, covering 38.7% of the area, were responsible for small-area degradation. While different combinations of archetypes exist in all the states, the five states of Niger (40.5%), Oyo (29.6%), Kwara (24.4%), Nassarawa (18.6%), and Ekiti (17.6%), have the largest shares of the archetypes. To deal with these archetypical features, policies and practices that address increasing population in combination with poverty reduction; and that create awareness about land degradation and promote sustainable practices and various forms of land restoration, such as tree planting, are necessary for progressing towards land-degradation neutrality in the Nigerian Guinea Savannah.

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“…There are barriers to the implementation and spreading of the recommended agricultural management practices (e.g., mulching and rainwater harvesting), especially the financial costs in the implementation phase, higher labor required for some practices, and the high level of knowledge needed to properly implement and maintain these practices (Liniger et al, 2019). Rather, the aim of this study is to provide a general overview of the implications of future hydroclimatic change on water resources at the continental scale so as to provide guidance for large-scale policy decision making to support freshwater resources and agricultural development.…”

Section: 1029/2019ef001169mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…African countries can instead have more jurisdiction on local land management plans and thus directly contribute to preserve freshwater resources using sustainable agricultural practices. There are barriers to the implementation and spreading of the recommended agricultural management practices (e.g., mulching and rainwater harvesting), especially the financial costs in the implementation phase, higher labor required for some practices, and the high level of knowledge needed to properly implement and maintain these practices (Liniger et al, 2019). This paper delineates the potential use and the purpose of some of these practices to cope with hydroclimatic changes in the four key hydroclimate change regions of the African continent to inform policy and funding plans that could overcome these socioeconomic barriers and facilitate the implementation of such practices.…”

Section: 1029/2019ef001169mentioning

confidence: 99%

Future Hydroclimatic Impacts on Africa: Beyond the Paris Agreement

et al. 2019

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Projections of global warming in Africa are generally associated with increasing aridity and decreasing water availability. However, most freshwater assessments focus on single hydroclimatic indicators (e.g., runoff, precipitation, or aridity), lacking analysis on combined changes in evaporative demand, and water availability on land. There remains a high degree of uncertainty over water implications at the basin scale, in particular for the most water-consuming sector-food production. Using the Budyko framework, we perform an assessment of future hydroclimatic change for the 50 largest African basins, finding a consistent pattern of change in four distinct regions across the two main emission scenarios corresponding to the Paris Agreement, and the business as usual. Although the Paris Agreement is likely to lead to less intense changes when compared to the business as usual, both scenarios show the same pattern of hydroclimatic shifts, suggesting a potential roadmap for hydroclimatic adaptation. We discuss the social-ecological implications of the projected hydroclimatic shifts in the four regions and argue that climate policies need to be complemented by soil and water conservation practices to make the best use of future water resources.

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Achieving land degradation neutrality: The role of SLM knowledge in evidence-based decision-making

Cited by 59 publications

References 15 publications

Assessment of Land Degradation in Semiarid Tanzania—Using Multiscale Remote Sensing Datasets to Support Sustainable Development Goal 15.3

Assessment of Land Degradation in Semiarid Tanzania—Using Multiscale Remote Sensing Datasets to Support Sustainable Development Goal 15.3

Social-Ecological Archetypes of Land Degradation in the Nigerian Guinea Savannah: Insights for Sustainable Land Management

Future Hydroclimatic Impacts on Africa: Beyond the Paris Agreement

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