Understanding Desertification and Land Degradation Trends Proceedings of the UNCCD First Scientific Conference, 22–24 September 2009, during the UNCCD Ninth Conference of Parties, Buenos Aires, Argentina Editors: Mark Winslow, Stefan Sommer, Harriet Bigas, Christopher Martius, Jürgen Vogt, Mariam Akhtar-Schuster, and Richard Thomas EUR 24931 EN – 2011 With support by: The mission of the JRC-IES is to provide scientific-technical support to the European Union’s policies for the protection and sustainable development of the European and global environment. Contact information: European Commission Joint Research Centre Institute for Environment and Sustainability Stefan Sommer, Land Management & Natural Hazards Unit, TP 280, Via E. 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It can be accessed through the Europa server http://europa.eu/ Published by JRC 66552 EUR 24931 EN ISBN 978-92-79-21135-5 (PDF) ISBN 978-92-79-21134-8 (print) ISSN 1831-9424 (online) ISSN 1018-5593 (print) doi:10.2788/62563 Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union © European Union, 2011 © Maps, photos, and illustrations as specified in volume. Photo credits cover page: International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Reporting Services, and Dr. Christopher Martius, ICARDA. Reproduction is authorized provided the source is acknowledged. Printed in Italy Suggested citation: Winslow M, Sommer S, Bigas H, Martius C, Vogt J, Akhtar-Schuster M and Thomas R (eds). 2011. Understanding Desertification and Land Degradation Trends. Proceedings of the UNCCD First Scientific Conference, 22–24 September 2009, during the UNCCD Ninth Conference of Parties, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg, doi:10.2788/62563 This publication is available for free download at: http://dsd-consortium.jrc.ec.europa.eu/php/index.php?action=view&id=150 A number of session keynote presentations are expanded in more depth in a special issue of the journal Land Degradation and Development 22 (2), available electronically at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ldr.v22.2/issuetoc Daily reports from the UNCCD First Scientific Conference by the IISD Reporting Service are available at: www.iisd.ca/desert/cop9/22sep.html Editing, graphics and layout: Green Ink Ltd, United Kingdom www.greenink.co.uk Disclaimers The content and views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies, or carry the endorsement of the contributory organizations, the EU or the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). 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Understanding Desertification and Land Degradation Trends | i Contents iii Acknowledgements iv Dryland Science for Development consortium Proceedings 1 Opening session 1 Opening remarks by the CST Chair | Klaus Kellner 3 Opening remarks by the Chair of the UNCCD First Scientific Conference | William D Dar 4 Statement by the UNCCD Executive Secretary | Luc Gnacadja 5 Working Group process leading to the UNCCD First Scientific Conference ‘Understanding desertification and land degradation trends’ | Mark Winslow 6 Keynote presentation 1 Desertification assessment and monitoring in Argentina | Elena María Abraham 12 Keynote presentation 2 The role of science and technology in combating desertification, land degradation and drought in the dry areas | Mahmoud Solh 16 Working Group 1 session | Chair: Charles Hutchinson Integrated methods for monitoring and assessment of desertification/land degradation processes and drivers 16 Rapporteurs’ overview | Jürgen Vogt and Stefan Sommer 19 Working Group 1, keynote presentation 1 Integrated methods for monitoring and assessing desertification/land degradation processes and drivers: highlights of policy-relevant aspects | Youba Sokona 21 Working Group 1, keynote presentation 2 An integrated, science-based framework for monitoring and assessing desertification/land degradation processes and drivers | James F Reynolds 28 Working Group 2 session | Chair: Ephraim Nkonya Monitoring and assessment of sustainable land management 28 Rapporteur’s overview | Christopher Martius 30 Working Group 2, keynote presentation 1 Monitoring and assessment of sustainable land management: overview of issues | Pedro Machado 33 Working Group 2, keynote presentation 2 Experiences in the monitoring and assessment of sustainable land management | Hanspeter Liniger 39 Focus issue Application of geospatial technologies for monitoring and assessing sustainable land management | Michaela Buenemann 42 Focus issue Modeling as a tool for the practice-based assessment of biophysical parameters that underlie sustainable land management | Johannes Lehmann 44 Working Group 3 session | Chair: Martin Bwalya Impacts of economic and social drivers and knowledge management on monitoring and evaluation of land degradation 47 Working Group 3, keynote presentation 1 Vertical and horizontal knowledge management: implications at the local, national, regional and global Levels | Mary Seely 49 Working Group 3, keynote presentation 2 Knowledge management for monitoring and assessment of desertification, land degradation, drought and sustainable land management | Mark Reed 52 Working Group 3, keynote presentation 3 Monitoring and assessment: challenges at the national and international levels | Pamela Chasek 56 Working Group 3, keynote presentation 4 Economic aspects and social drivers of land degradation | Stefan Sperlich 59 Recommendations of the UNCCD First Scientific Conference (including Rationales) ii | Proceedings of the UNCCD First Scientific Conference, 22–24 September 2009 Poster sessions I. Africa 72 Traditional livelihoods and new coping strategies: monitoring land quality in pastoralist systems of Somaliland 75 Satellite remote sensing and spectral mixture analysis to monitor land cover degradation in a savanna region in Sudan 77 Combating desertification and poverty through locally-governed land protection ‘Mise( en defens’ strategy) in Senegal 79 Sustainable agro-forestry system for re-claiming degraded land in the Federal Capital Territory near Abuja, Nigeria 80 Combating desertification through biodiversity conservation in Cameroon 81 Poverty and sustainable development in cocoa-producing communities 82 Watershed management in the Democratic Republic of Congo II. Asia 84 Diagnosing and minimizing nutrient depletion-related land degradation in the semi-arid tropics 86 Identifying systems for carbon sequestration and increased productivity in semi-arid tropical environments 88 Soil and water management technologies to minimize degradation and sustain agricultural productivity in the semi- arid tropics 90 Improved livelihoods in the Asian semi-arid tropics through a community watershed management approach 92 Impact of climate change and coping strategies in the Asian semi-arid tropics 94 Using indigenous knowledge for monitoring desertification: community-based decision support systems in India 96 Integrated watershed development through farm ponds to improve agricultural productivity in northeastern Thailand 98 Use of LADA for the development of a national SLM-information system for Uzbekistan III. Latin America 101 Bio-physical and socio-economic impact of desertification in Mexico: a study case in La Amapola, Mexico 103 Evaluating a new index as a drought monitoring tool 105 Reimpulso de los Comités Regionales de Lucha contra la Desertificación 106 Toward an alternative model for sustainable dryland development (Mendoza, Argentina) 108 Jacobacci geographical assessment area of LADA Argentina 110 Land use in arid lands: assessing desertification impact category in the western arid region of Argentina 112 The use of GIS to determine desertification characterization factors in the western arid region of Argentina 114 Mechanisms of desertification and sustainability in the arid and semi-arid region of northwest Argentina 116 Recovery and management strategies for degraded semi-arid rangelands of central Argentina 118 Runoff and inter-rill erosion from rangeland in the semi-arid region of Argentina 120 Biodiversity responses as ecological indicators of landscape degradation processes in the Argentinean Monte Desert 122 Modeling animal movements for sustainable use of extensive grazing systems