Indicators in the study sites

Table of Contents

1. Compilers and contributors
2. Introduction
3. Climate indicators
   1. Air temperature
   2. Annual rainfall
   3. Aridity index
   4. Annual potential evapotranspiration
   5. Rainfall seasonality
   6. Rainfall erosivity
4. Water indicators
5. Soil indicators
6. Vegetation indicators
7. Water runoff indicators
8. Forest fires indicators
9. Agriculture indicators
10. Cultivation indicators
11. Animal husbandry indicators
12. Land management indicators
13. Land use indicators
14. Water use indicators
15. Tourism indicators
16. Human characteristics indicators
17. Institutional indicators
18. Conclusions
19. References

Climate indicators

Climate is an important factor affecting plant growth, water availability, water demands, and land degradation. Climate, as it has been recognized by UNCCD, is an important factor affecting desertification. Arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas can potentially become desertified. Global climate change is expected to increase the vulnerability of the land to degradation in Mediterranean environments. The identified indicators related to climatic conditions that can create large water deficits and affect land degradation and desertification in the DESIRE project are: (a) air annual temperature, (b) annual rainfall, (c) aridity index, (d) annual potential evapotranspiration (ETo), (e) rainfall seasonality, and (f) rainfall erosivity.

Table 1. Number of field sites in which the indicators related to climate was recorded in the filled questionnaires