Processes of land degradation and desertification evaluation: national and international experience

Abstract

Indicators, data and systems for collecting information on land degradation processes in Ukraine have been analyzed. It was investigated whether they are eligible and sufficient for assessment of the achievement of land degradation neutrality and other sustainable land management goals, taking into account international experience and obligations of Ukraine as a Party to the UNCCD. It is shown that information about the status and the prevalence of some types of land degradation processes in Ukraine is collected by different subjects of monitoring with different methodologies and observing systems, with varying periodicity and representativeness. That is why the comparison, responsible spatial definition of areas affected by both separate and simultaneously several types of land degradation, as well as identification the proportion of degraded land in the country as a whole into specified set time frames, is problematic. Under the present conditions it is proposed to use data content about content and balance of humus in soils that was collected from agrochemical passportization as one of the key element for assessing of soil degradation processes and their prevalence.