Indicators in the study sites

Table of Contents

1. Compilers and contributors
2. Introduction
3. Climate indicators
4. Water indicators
5. Soil indicators
6. Vegetation indicators
   1. Major land use
   2. Vegetation cover type
   3. Vegetation cover
   4. Deforested area
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

Vegetation indicators

Vegetation is a crucial factor which affects soils in all its dynamics including erosion control, water redistribution over and within the soil and the microbial activity. Surface water runoff is greatly controlled by vegetation which can be readily altered in hilly areas depending on climatic conditions and the period of the year. By its microbial activity affects soil aggregation especially in the surface soil horizon and water infiltration. In areas with annual precipitation of less than 300 mm and a high evapotranspiration rate, the soil water available to the plants is reduced drastically and the soil remains relatively bare favoring overland water flow whenever rainfall events do occur. Key indicators related to vegetation for defining desertification risk in the DESIRE project have been considered the following: (a) major land use type, (b) vegetation cover type, and (c) vegetation cover, and (d) deforested area.

Table 4. Number of field sites in which the indicators related to vegetation was recorded in the filled questionnaires