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
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
    1. Human poverty index
    2. Old age index
    3. Population density
    4. Population growth rate
    5. Population distribution
17. Institutional indicators
18. Conclusions
19. References

Human characteristics indicators

The use of social, economic and environmental indicators at several levels (national, regional and local) has become a common assessment tool for land degradation. Changes in the social structure of an area can be both a driving force and an impact on land degradation and desertification. Changes in the social structure can occur under the local socio-economic conditions has become incapable for satisfying the population's needs. This may be the result of land degradation caused in the landscape in the previous time resulting in decreasing land productivity and farmers' income. Under such conditions, land is abandoned and population migrates to other more promising areas. But the concentration of people in certain areas results in large pressure on the land resources and especially on water resources due to continuously increasing demands for food and water consumption. The increasing demands for food and water results on intensive use of natural resources and a new cycle of land degradation and desertification is initiated in the areas of high population density.

The following indicators have been selected related to social characteristics of the study sites for the purposes of the DESIRE project: (a) human poverty index, (b) old age index, (c) population density, (d) population growth rate, and (e) population distribution. Most of indicators are classified as regional indicators and are referred in broad areas or in the whole study site.

Table 14. Number of field sites in which indicators related to social characteristics was defined in the filled questionnaires