Abstract
Abstract. Land degradation impacts the health and livelihoods of about 1.5 billion people worldwide. Given that the state of the environment and food security are strongly interlinked in tropical landscapes, the increasing need for land for food production, urbanization and other uses poses several threats to sustainability in the long term. This paper demonstrates the integration of land and soil health maps with socioeconomic datasets into an online, open-access platform called the Resilience Diagnostic and Decision Support Tool for Turkana County in Kenya, using the Stakeholder Approach to Risk Informed and Evidence Based Decision Making (SHARED) methodology. The paper highlights the utility of spatial assessments of soil organic carbon (SOC) for monitoring land degradation neutrality (LDN) compliance, understanding the drivers of SOC dynamics and inclusion of these in stakeholder decision-making. The main objectives of this paper were to (1) demonstrate the application of a systematic approach for land health assessments, including spatial mapping of soil organic carbon; (2) show an operational interdisciplinary framework for assessing ecosystem health and (3) showcase the application of evidence-based tools for stakeholder engagement using the SHARED approach. Through the approaches and tools presented, the paper addresses the increasing need for more integrated approaches when assessing and managing ecosystem health to meet the targets of the 2030 Agenda, including Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15.3. In addition to systematic and reliable biophysical and socioeconomic assessments, stakeholder engagement with evidence is crucial to support such integrated approaches.
Highlights
The 2030 Agenda, including multilateral environmental agreements and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has set the stage for greater appreciation and understanding of the complex nature and interactions among environmental challenges facing society (United Nations General Assembly, 2015)
This paper demonstrates the integration of land and soil health maps, using spatial assessments of soil organic carbon (SOC) as an example, with socioeconomic datasets into an online tool, the Resilience Diagnostic and Decision Support Tool2 (RDDST) in Turkana County, Kenya
By applying spatial assessments of land health indicators, SOC being a key indicator in this regard, areas that are degraded can be identified for further assessments of the drivers and processes that are leading to degradation, while at the same time making more realistic assessments of the types of restoration efforts that are likely to be effective given conditions in a certain area or location
Summary
The 2030 Agenda, including multilateral environmental agreements and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has set the stage for greater appreciation and understanding of the complex nature and interactions among environmental challenges facing society (United Nations General Assembly, 2015). SDG 15 calls for the protection, restoration and promotion of sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems and sustainably managed forests, combating desertification, halting and reversing land degradation and halting biodiversity loss At their core, initiatives such as land degradation neutrality (LDN) and SDG 15 emphasize healthy ecosystem function and resilient landscapes, which underpin healthy economies and societal well-being. Achieving the associated targets requires a robust evidence base for measuring and monitoring land health indicators and associated land management practices, coupled with local- and policy-level awareness of the importance of land health in supporting multiple sectors. Local capacity to implement, monitor and assess these indicators is needed, including mechanisms for integrated, cross-sectoral coordination and inclusive, multi-stakeholder collaboration to achieve impact
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