Evaluation of land management practices and techniques using indicators

Table of Contents

1. List of contributors
2. Introduction
3. Analysis of data
4. The derived methodology on assessing land desertification risk
5. Assessment and validation of the derived methodology
6. Desertification Risk Assessment Tool
7. Conclusions
8. References

Analysis of data

The data base of indicators created and presented in deliverable 2.1.3 (AUA, 2010) has been further analyzed in the deliverable 2.2.1 (AUA, 2010) for conducting a comparative analysis among the various study sites worldwide. The appropriate statistical methods have been applied and presented in deliverable 2.2.1 in order to identify the most appropriate and effective indicators for assessing the effectiveness of the various land management practices and techniques in land uses and landscapes prone to desertification. The obtained data from the various study sites were classified and analyzed according to the processes or causes identified in each study field site presented in deliverable 2.2.1. Based on this classification, algorithms were derived for each process or cause of land degradation assessing land degradation and desertification risk. It was the first time that this methodological procedure was applied worldwide using the DESIRE case study sites, while it was previously tested only in the Mediterranean area. The derived algorithms were included in a decision support system to be used as a tool for various stakeholders for assessing land degradation and desertification risk under the existing physical environmental, economic and social conditions and to select the appropriate land management practices and techniques for combating desertification.