Indicators and Information Requirements for
Combatting Desertification
G. Enne, C. Zucca, C. Zanolla
1 Introduction
The development of indicators and the availability and circulation of information are
two correlated and relevant issues in the fight against desertification as highlighted
by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UN-CCD). Article 16
of the UN-CCD notifies that the ratifying countries have accepted integrating and
co-ordinating the collection, analysis and exchange of relevant short and long term
data and information to ensure systematic observation of land degradation in the
affected areas and to better understand and assess the processes and effects of
desertification and drought.
Desertification integrates a complex system of dimensions, parameters and
variables involving the environment and society. In order to facilitate global
understanding ofthe status of desertification and be able to assess what is happening
to soil, vegetation, water resources and the quality of life of popUlations in the
affected areas, indicators must be developed to represent precisely and
unambiguously quantifiable qualities or properties, symptoms or parameters of a
phenomenon relating to a feature of the environment or of society, a change in
which over time or space is related to this process.
Affected countries are invited to develop Desertification Monitoring Systems
(DMS). DMS should be able to generate diagnoses integrated in space and time with
respect to the status of natural resources and populations in the regions affected.
They must likewise act as a support to the decision making process by supplying
information on the biophysical and socio-economic environmental problems. DMS
should aid actors at different levels to assess the progress achieved, examine their
priorities and improve their situation as against the degradation process. However
the identification of indicators would be a useless effort unless they are supported by
the necessary data. It is therefore essential:
to identify indicators from a compromise between knowledge of processes
(objective need for information) and real and cost effective data availability;
• to make data supply and demand to meet so that the agencies involved in
monitoring and relevant data production are stimulated to concentrate all efforts
on the topical issues and to adopt protocols that better meet the needs of the
DSM;
Combatting Desertification
G. Enne, C. Zucca, C. Zanolla
1 Introduction
The development of indicators and the availability and circulation of information are
two correlated and relevant issues in the fight against desertification as highlighted
by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UN-CCD). Article 16
of the UN-CCD notifies that the ratifying countries have accepted integrating and
co-ordinating the collection, analysis and exchange of relevant short and long term
data and information to ensure systematic observation of land degradation in the
affected areas and to better understand and assess the processes and effects of
desertification and drought.
Desertification integrates a complex system of dimensions, parameters and
variables involving the environment and society. In order to facilitate global
understanding ofthe status of desertification and be able to assess what is happening
to soil, vegetation, water resources and the quality of life of popUlations in the
affected areas, indicators must be developed to represent precisely and
unambiguously quantifiable qualities or properties, symptoms or parameters of a
phenomenon relating to a feature of the environment or of society, a change in
which over time or space is related to this process.
Affected countries are invited to develop Desertification Monitoring Systems
(DMS). DMS should be able to generate diagnoses integrated in space and time with
respect to the status of natural resources and populations in the regions affected.
They must likewise act as a support to the decision making process by supplying
information on the biophysical and socio-economic environmental problems. DMS
should aid actors at different levels to assess the progress achieved, examine their
priorities and improve their situation as against the degradation process. However
the identification of indicators would be a useless effort unless they are supported by
the necessary data. It is therefore essential:
to identify indicators from a compromise between knowledge of processes
(objective need for information) and real and cost effective data availability;
• to make data supply and demand to meet so that the agencies involved in
monitoring and relevant data production are stimulated to concentrate all efforts
on the topical issues and to adopt protocols that better meet the needs of the
DSM;