An interactive system to map land degradation and inform decision-making
to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality via convergence of evidence
across scales: a case study in Ecuador
Abstract
One of the core challenges to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN)
is to spatially identify, and strategically prioritise, the areas to
implement actions to avoid, reduce and reverse land degradation. To
achieve this, a tool for a participatory and data-driven assessment
considering both the biophysical, and socio-economic dimensions of land
degradation across scales was developed for Ecuador. In this paper, we
present the methodology and results obtained, including the spatially
explicit interactive tool developed to integrate indicators that support
the scaling-up of sustainable land management (SLM). The process
involved specialists from various national and international
institutions, as well as decision makers from the public sector and
other relevant stakeholders. Cloud computing allowed the integration of
five main sources of data: (1) the results of a participatory land
degradation assessment based on an expert knowledge questionnaire
following the Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands (LADA) and World
Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT)
methodology; (2) the Hand-in-Hand Initiative Ecuador typology maps based
on poverty maps and estimated agricultural potential and efficiency
scores using household surveys on agricultural production; (3) National
data sets on land cover and land use, soil properties, and hydro
climatic indicators; (4) global satellite-derived LDN indicators, such
as Land Productivity Dynamics; and (5) Documented SLM practices from
WOCAT Global SLM Database. The tool is based on a Google Earth Engine
application and allows decision makers to easily compare results and
obtain statistics at different spatial scales and landscapes, including
647 Land Use Systems delimited by experts. It also includes a
multi-criteria module to identify areas with specific characteristics to
prioritise different types of interventions to achieve the country´s LDN
targets. Convergence of local and global evidence allowed the
identification of hotspots of degradation as well as areas of false
positives/negatives - if only global or remote sensing indicators were
considered. The participatory process contributed to strengthening
multi-sector cooperation mechanisms and to guaranteeing ownership of the
tool and the results. The system will support Ecuador’s efforts to
monitor and report progress towards LDN to the United Nations Convention
to Combat Desertification. The system´s code is shared as a repository
at Earth Engine and can be adapted to and used by other countries and
regions.