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Desertification Indicator System for Mediterranean Europe

 

The main issues associated with Mediterranean desertification

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Table of indicators relating to land degradation
Author: Brian Irvine B.Irvine@geography.leeds.ac.uk


Based on the discussion of the issue of land degradation and on a workshop session carried out by members of the DESERTLINKS project, we have attempted to structure the relationship of the indicators to the issue.

The land degradation issue is divided into three themes:

  • what can be observed (or process or state dynamics);
  • reasons for what is observed (or factors influencing the issue or driving forces and pressures);
  • consequences of what is observed (or impacts and responses).

The different facets of each theme are given in sub-themes and indicators of direct relevance to measuring or monitoring are suggested. Some are also suggested as headline indicators which, if considered as a group, form a sub-set of indicators encapsulating the major processes in land degradation (see also Combining and using indicators: Headline indicators).

Please note that the structure presented in the table below is open to discussion. It may not be comprehensive because it is restricted to the indicators currently in the DIS4ME database. Some indicators appear more than once because they relate to more than one theme. This structure is something we would like to develop further in the future.



Theme Sub-theme Indicator name
What can be observed (process or state dynamics) Results from composite indicators ESI (Headline)
RDI (Headline)
Off-site impacts Sediment deposition (Headline)
Changing land use
Land use evolution (Headline)
Vegetation cover Vegetation cover (Headline)
Ecosystem resilience
Soil Soil erosion (USLE) (Headline)
Soil quality index
Soil texture
Organic matter in surface soil rs
Soil structure
Erosion risk (RDI)
Soil depth
Soil surface stability
Drainage
Salinization potential
Control of erosion Soil erosion control measures
Runoff water storage
Fire Burned area
Wild fire incidence
Forest fragmentation
Changing land-use
Period of existing land use type
Area of cultivated & semi natural vegetation
Irrigated area
Water availability Ground water depth (change in)
Population Population density
Biodiversity change Biodiversity conservation

Reasons for what is observed (influencing factors or driving forces and pressures)

Climate Rainfall
Rainfall seasonality
Rainfall erosivity
Potential evapotranspiration
Aridity index (1)
Aridity index (2)
Soil Parent material
Slope gradient
Vegetation Deforested area
Changing land-use Land use type
Land use intensity
Land abandoned
Area of marginal soil used
EU production subsidies
Irrigated area
Land use policy
Water use policy/law
Production methods Tillage operations
Area of hillslope cultivated
Grazing intensity
Grazing impact
Farm size
Productivity change Net farm income
Fertilizer application
Salinisation Water quality
Consequences of what is observed (or impacts and responses) Fire Burned area
Wild fire incidence
Changing land-use Land use evolution
Irrigated area
Production methods Farm size
Traditional agricultural products
Control of erosion Soil erosion control measures
Runoff water storage
Soil erosion

Soil erosion (USLE)
Land abandoned
Infiltration capacity

Change in vegetation Vegetation cover

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