96
Enne G., Zucca c., Zanolla C.
Working Group 3: Socia-economy and policy related
Despite differences in aims, scope, coverage and depth, managers and researchers
are largely seeking data from the same wide array of variables and indicators.
Although there is great availability of these data, they are for the most part
aggregated at national level, and have therefore little relevance to the real situation
of an area affected by land degradation. The needs for these data must therefore be
defined in a case specific way.
Data needs
Defining data need was considered to be a difficult task in view of the complexity
of desertification problems observed in the different bio-physical, social and
economic settings. It appeared necessary to identify the needs for each specific
research field of the different working groups. Among the general needs the
followings can be emphasised:
better aggregation of data sets at multiple scales;
• improved compilation of information;
better integration of different case studies through improved networking among
all institutions dealing with desertification research;
• more efficient up- and downscaling of information for different user groups, be
it research teams, or policy and other decision makers at different levels of
intervention, from local to community, regional to national, and the international
levels.
Future research needs
It was concluded that such needs be based on a research strategy, that would have
to be defined beforehand. A general consensus was reached on the following:
• research focusing on monitoring and understanding the processes and causes of
desertification would have to be ongoing;
new research initiatives focusing on aspects of mitigation, restoration, and
prevention of desertification should receive equal attention. Here major gaps
were identified. Research in support of pro-active interventions would have to be
multi-level, multi-scale, and multi-temporal, and include different
methodologies, from disciplinary to multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary
approaches, the latter being the most participatory type of research;
a key requirement for such types of research would be the identification of joint
case study areas, where more demand-driven, participatory activities could lead
to better decision-support systems serving different users of the information. A
better understanding of institutions, policies and desertification systems, and the
development of tools for mitigation should be at the centre of future research.
The working groups introduced the following more specific considerations.
Enne G., Zucca c., Zanolla C.
Working Group 3: Socia-economy and policy related
Despite differences in aims, scope, coverage and depth, managers and researchers
are largely seeking data from the same wide array of variables and indicators.
Although there is great availability of these data, they are for the most part
aggregated at national level, and have therefore little relevance to the real situation
of an area affected by land degradation. The needs for these data must therefore be
defined in a case specific way.
Data needs
Defining data need was considered to be a difficult task in view of the complexity
of desertification problems observed in the different bio-physical, social and
economic settings. It appeared necessary to identify the needs for each specific
research field of the different working groups. Among the general needs the
followings can be emphasised:
better aggregation of data sets at multiple scales;
• improved compilation of information;
better integration of different case studies through improved networking among
all institutions dealing with desertification research;
• more efficient up- and downscaling of information for different user groups, be
it research teams, or policy and other decision makers at different levels of
intervention, from local to community, regional to national, and the international
levels.
Future research needs
It was concluded that such needs be based on a research strategy, that would have
to be defined beforehand. A general consensus was reached on the following:
• research focusing on monitoring and understanding the processes and causes of
desertification would have to be ongoing;
new research initiatives focusing on aspects of mitigation, restoration, and
prevention of desertification should receive equal attention. Here major gaps
were identified. Research in support of pro-active interventions would have to be
multi-level, multi-scale, and multi-temporal, and include different
methodologies, from disciplinary to multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary
approaches, the latter being the most participatory type of research;
a key requirement for such types of research would be the identification of joint
case study areas, where more demand-driven, participatory activities could lead
to better decision-support systems serving different users of the information. A
better understanding of institutions, policies and desertification systems, and the
development of tools for mitigation should be at the centre of future research.
The working groups introduced the following more specific considerations.