Soil and land health monitoring for targeting restoration in degraded farmlands Cases from Peru and Uganda Tor-Gunnar Vågen, Valentina Robiglio, Madelon Lohbeck , Clement Okia, Roeland Kindt, Erick Opiyo and Jonathan Cornelius m.lohbeck@cgiar. org
Jan 18, 2016
Soil and land health monitoring for targeting restoration in degraded farmlands
Cases from Peru and Uganda
Tor-Gunnar Vågen, Valentina Robiglio, Madelon Lohbeck,Clement Okia, Roeland Kindt, Erick Opiyo and Jonathan Cornelius
Restoration- more than planting trees
What to restore (baseline) towards what (target)?
target
Baseline
From:IUCN 2012, Parks Canada 2008
Why indicators for land degradation?
• Assess baseline• Identify priority areas for restoration• Inform appropriate restoration strategies• Monitor progress of restoration
MESSAGESLandscape restoration = multiple scaleDegradation/ resilience = baseline from which to design restoration strategies towardsachievable goals
Mosaic-landscape restoration framework
What makes a good indicator for land degradation?
• Reflects the complex processes of land degradation in landscapes
• Science-based• Measurable• Rapid• Based on field assessment across multiple
scales
Indicators for land degradation usedIndicator Process Method
1. Vegetation cover and tree diversity
Biomass, productivity, soil retention
Ground: tree density and diversity inventoriesAerial: satellite images using Soil Adjusted Total Vegetation Index (SATVI)
2. Erosion prevalence (probability)
Soil retention, soil nutrients, risk of landslides
Ground: systematic observationsAerial: satellite images using reflectance spectra
3. Root-depth restrictions (probability, at given depth)
Intensity of landuse (compaction), agricultural productivity, leads to erosion
Ground: Auger-depth measurements, Aerial: satellite images using reflectance spectra
4. Soil organic carbon Carbon sink, soil health, productive capacity
Ground: Soil analyses Aerial: satellite images using reflectance spectra
Uganda
Peru
2 Case studies
2 Case studies
Peru; Ucayali• Extensive cattle raising• Low population pressure• Flat topography, seasonally
flooded• 56% grassland, 17%
cropland, 16% thicket
Uganda; ‘Mbale’• Mosaic of smallholder
farming systems• High population pressure• Mountainous topography,
landslides• 90% cropland, 9% grassland
Indicator 1: Vegetation
Fewer trees (concentrated), high diversity
More trees (spread), high dominance
Indicator 2: Erosion
prevalence
Low erosion prevalence High erosion prevalence
Indicator 3: Root-depth restrictions
Little root-depth restrictions, Overall low water infiltration capacity
High root-depth restrictions, reducing water infiltration capacity
Indicator 4: Soil organic
carbon
Intermediate – high SOC Relatively low SOC
Target restoration strategies with indicators
Peru• Constraints:Low water infiltration and flat topography -> waterlogging
• OpportunitiesFallows- natural regeneration, include enrichment planting with spp that resist waterlogging and provide benefits to farmers (e.g. timber spp)Develop silvopastoral systems with rotational grazing
Uganda• Constraints:High population density, landslides & erosion
• OpportunitiesFurther stimulate agroforestry, enrich by planting native species that enhance soil health (e.g. Fleroya robustipulata, N-fixing species)
Educating farmers on native species through ‘tree finder app’
‘Africa Tree Finder App’
Restoration is a priority• Let’s not forget:– What are we restoring? (baseline)– What are we aiming towards? (targets)– Does our restoration-strategy work? (monitoring)
Good indicators and consistent methods are vital