Land Degradation Research Articles

Mapping agricultural ecosystem services. A systematic review.

Mapping agricultural ecosystem services. A systematic review.

Assessment of land degradation neutrality to guide Sustainable Land Management practices in Ethiopia

Assessment of land degradation neutrality to guide Sustainable Land Management practices in Ethiopia

Spatial-temporal trends and driving mechanisms of land degradation sensitivity in the southern region of China

Spatial-temporal trends and driving mechanisms of land degradation sensitivity in the southern region of China

Sandy desertification in the Belt and Road Initiative drylands during 2000–2020: Assessment under the Land Degradation Neutrality framework

Sandy desertification in the Belt and Road Initiative drylands during 2000–2020: Assessment under the Land Degradation Neutrality framework

Modeling Land Degradation in Drylands of the Nile Delta Using Remote Sensing and GIS

Modeling Land Degradation in Drylands of the Nile Delta Using Remote Sensing and GIS

Subordinated Ecologies and Livelihood Transformation in Post-Mining Bangka Belitung: Community Dynamics in a Post-Extractive Landscape

The long-standing tin mining industry in the Bangka Belitung Islands has left a legacy of complex ecological crises, including thousands of abandoned mining pits (kolong), land degradation, and the dislocation of local livelihoods. This study examines how local communities reconstruct their livelihood strategies within a post-extractive landscape characterized by ecological subordination, institutional fragmentation, and asymmetrical power relations. Employing a descriptive qualitative approach through content and critical discourse analysis of policy documents, institutional reports, scholarly publications, and online media coverage, the research traces how national development narratives, policy frameworks, and media representations contribute to the socio-ecological marginalization of post-mining areas in Bangka Belitung. The findings reveal that although community initiatives, such as pit reclamation, participatory agro-tourism, and freshwater aquaculture, are emerging, these efforts are often constrained by unclear land access, weak institutional support, and structural exclusion in land governance. Livelihood transformation in post-mining contexts is not linear but unfolds through politicized processes marked by spatial conflict, community agency, and contested resource control. The study underscores the need for recovery policies that are not merely technocratic, but socially and ecologically transformative, positioning local communities as principal actors. The practical implications point to reforming post-mining governance in a contextualized, participatory, and locally grounded manner to achieve long-term sustainability and ecological justice in extractive-affected regions.

An integrated socio-techno-ecological framework to address desertification in Crete

Science has documented a long list of alternative solutions that relate to sustainable land use practices that can be adapted to reverse the adverse impact of climate change and desertification. In addition, there are tools and models that can be used to evaluate the trade-offs between the different alternatives and identify optimal solutions that restore soil ecosystem services. As part of the IRISCC project (https://www.iriscc.eu/), these tools and solutions will be used to develop integrated research and knowledge services that will drive effective climate action. The overall objective of this work is to develop an integrated socio-techno-ecological methodology to address soil degradation and desertification in the Messara and Asterousia regions of Crete by identifying key adaptation and mitigation actions and facilitating regional government agencies to develop local level Strategic Plans to mitigate desertification. This methodology has the potential to be the backbone of a service to local and regional authorities for the development of strategic planning that would be co-designed with stakeholders to address local challenges. Land degradation in the study area is primarily caused by unsustainable agricultural practices, animal grazing and anthropogenic pressures that have been extenuated by the impacts of climate change. The natural topography is characterized by steep slopes which in combination with extensive grazing create conditions prone to soil erosion (Jucker Riva et al. 2017). Land use and vegetation cover have had a severe effect on water run-off causing land degradation and soil erosion especially during olive and vineyard tillage period (Karamesouti et al. 2015). The consequences of over-grazing are high water run-off, sediment loss and high soil temperature (Kairis et al. 2015Table 1). The methodological approach implemented has three phases (Fig. 1). In the first phase, co-design engagement efforts are initiated with the regional government of Crete and a framework is developed addressing soil degradation and desertification in the Messara and Asterousia regions of Crete. In collaboration with the regional government, the objective of action is defined, and stakeholders are identified. The co-design engagement approach is established, and all relevant knowledge input is identified. In the second phase, a baseline narrative is created from the existing knowledge and data collected and a science proposition is developed. The objective of the science proposition is to develop a list of alternatives (Table 1) that can be used alone or in combination to alleviate the impacts of desertification. These solutions address all the aspects of the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem NEXUS aiming for security of resources while maintaining and enhancing ecosystem sustainability. These solutions will be presented to stakeholders in order to assess their viability, what roadblocks are preventing their implementation, which ones are most appropriate for the region and to assess if the community has the capacity to implement these solutions. Based on the science proposition, stakeholders are asked to set priorities which will be evaluated based on similarities and to select alternative solutions; again, evaluated based on similarities and whether there were conflicts in perceptions. Certain scenarios will be run, this will be done through multi-criteria analysis and ranking. The co-design strategy is modified and improved to the stakeholder needs and perceptions and the selection of alternatives/ solutions is designated. Accordingly, a roadmap for implementation is created, including measures in legislation and funding mechanisms. The third phase concerns scaling up the knowledge and includes two parts: the education and training phase and communication and dissemination phase. A communication strategy will be launched through social media and a webpage and training workshops. The integrated socio-techno-ecological framework that will be used in Crete will be widely applicable and developed as a research infrastructure service. The service will benefit, in addition to the Regional Government, the local water utility companies by reducing cost of production, the agronomists by promoting collaborations and increasing profit, the farmers by improving soil fertility and increasing production and quality of produce and the regional government by improving environmental management, mitigating desertification and encouraging social cohesion.

Patterns of plant taxonomic, functional diversity and productivity along space and time in dryland woodlands

Drylands occupy 47% of the world’s terrestrial area and comprise important biodiversity hotspots such as the Mediterranean Basin, where one can find high levels of plant diversity and endemism. At the same time, they provide resources for human populations, being cattle grazing one of the main activities in dryland ecosystems. Mediterranean woodlands and pastures are currently under threat with increasing aridity due to climate change. Aridity, together with human exploitation, pushes these ecosystems towards land degradation, leading to decreased diversity, ecosystem functioning, and economical value. Understanding how plant communities respond to climate in the long-term, as well as climatic fluctuations, is crucial to anticipate the impacts of climate change in these ecosystems and build a knowledge base to design adaptation and restoration measures and promote their resilience. In the western Mediterranean Basin dryland areas are commonly occupied with oak open woodlands. It is an agro-silvo-pastoral system with a savannah-like structure, dominated by oaks with a species-rich understory of pastures and shrubs. In Portugal, this system is called montado, and due to its socio-economic and ecological importance, it is currently monitored within the LTsER montado platform. The herbaceous layer, dominated by annual species, is a major component of this system’s diversity. While these pastures are adapted to dryland climatic conditions, its annual turnover may make these communities quick responders to environmental changes, providing a good model system to study the effects of climate on diversity and ecosystem functioning. In this work, we aim to assess the effects of long-term climate and yearly climatic fluctuations on plant taxonomic and functional diversity and on pasture productivity, as well as the relationship between diversity and productivity. We sampled the understory plant community of 10 holm-oak open woodlands along a spatial aridity gradient in southern Portugal in multiple years, 5-7 times, between 2012 and 2022. A stratified random selection of sites was made, avoiding as much as possible confounding effects, namely from differences in slope, elevation and fire occurrence. The plant community was sampled in spring, at the peak standing biomass, with the point-intercept method along six 20 m transects per site. Pasture productivity was measured by collecting the aerial herbaceous biomass in three 30 cm squares placed randomly in each site. Functional diversity was calculated using mean trait values per species retrieved from online databases. We fit linear mixed-effects models to assess the relationship between long- and short-term climate variables and taxonomic and functional diversity. We further explored the role of diversity on productivity with structure equation modeling. To assess the patterns of compositional changes along space and time, we determined compositional and functional dissimilarity among sites and among years. Preliminary results show that both productivity and species diversity increase with annual precipitation and winter temperature, while long-term aridity does not seem to be a main driver. On the other hand, species compositional changes between years suggests that more arid sites have higher species turnover, and possibly a higher species richness considering both dry and more wet years, while less arid sites are more stable along time. In this presentation, we will further explore these patterns and assess the role of functional traits and functional diversity as a means by which communities adapt to climatic conditions, and how these influence pasture productivity. These findings may then contribute to a discussion on the projections on future scenarios for these ecosystems and which adaptation and restoration measures may be adopted to promote its sustainability and resilience.

Food Problem in Small Island Developing States of Asia and Oceania

The food problem is particularly critical for Small Island Developing States (SIDS). According to the UN classification, the Maldives, Singapore, and Timor-Leste are categorized as Asian SIDS, while the SIDS of Oceania include 12 island states located in Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. These countries face numerous challenges, including the scarcity and degradation of arable land, declining agricultural output, limited fresh water resources, frequent extreme weather events (such as storms and floods), rising sea levels, reduced rainfall, and prolonged dry spells. Due to these constraints, SIDS are heavily reliant on food imports and thus vulnerable to fluctuations in global food prices. The food insecurity they experience is evident not only in increased levels of undernourishment and deficiencies in essential nutrients, but also in a high prevalence of obesity, driven by unbalanced diet. With support from the international community, Asian and Oceanian SIDS are striving to enhance food security through innovations in the production of agricultural raw materials and processed foods, the development of national distribution networks, and greater integration into global value chains. Their government programs increasingly emphasize the technological modernization of food systems, particularly through digitalization.

Co-constructing and simulating LUCC scenarios for evaluating the sustainability of environmental policies and supporting long-term decision-making

Urbanization and agricultural intensification are major drivers of biodiversity loss due to multiple stressors, including land artificialization, habitat fragmentation, isolation, and degradation. These land-use and land-cover changes (LUCC) also impact water quality, carbon sequestration, and ecosystem services. Designing Blue and Green Infrastructure Networks (BGINs) has been proposed as a strategic approach to land-use planning that enhances ecosystem services while preserving biodiversity and improving water management. This study focuses on the Couesnon watershed (Brittany, France) within the LTSER Zone Atelier Armorique (https://deims.org/31e67a47-5f15-40ad-9a72-f6f0ee4ecff6). A participatory approach was employed to develop five future LUCC scenarios incorporating BGINs. Narrative descriptions were then used as input for the FORESCEM model to simulate LUCC dynamics (Fig. 1 - Houet et al. 2022). The impacts on biodiversity were assessed by evaluating changes in landscape connectivity for woodlands, grasslands, and wetlands using the model developed by Boussard et al. (2020). Additionally, the effects on water quality and quantity were analyzed under LUCC and RCP8.5 climate change scenarios using the model developed by Álvarez-Cabria et al. (2016). The effectiveness of BGIN policies was assessed by comparing current landscape connectivity (2018) with projected connectivity in 2050 and by estimating future water quality. Results indicate that despite integrating BGINs, the projected impacts on biodiversity (Fig. 2) and water resources could still be significantly negative. Key drivers of future agricultural land-use changes and related environmental impacts include evolving CAP priorities, demographic trends among farmers, and climate change. While BGINs are effective in mitigating urbanization impacts, they may not be sufficient at the landscape scale. This study highlights the necessity of systemic environmental policies that foster synergies among different administrative services involved in land management. The current sectoral (or "siloed") organisation levels remain a barrier to achieving land sustainability goals. While LUCC simulations are designed to assist decision-makers in implementing sustainable policies, we examined whether our results effectively support local stakeholders in the Couesnon watershed. We conducted 14 public meetings involving nearly 150 participants, including farmers, policymakers, land and resource management professionals, and students. Surveys and interviews conducted during the meetings and 6 to 12 months later revealed that while scenario-based approaches can influence decision-making, their impact requires time to materialize (Rigo and Houet 2023, Rigo et al. 2024). These findings underscore the need for further research and the importance of effectively communicating scientific insights to support the understanding, monitoring, and sustainable management of socio-ecological systems within the critical zone.

Effects of artificial waterpoints on woody species composition and structure in semi-arid communal rangelands, northern Namibia

The provision of artificial water resources for livestock in communal rangelands in arid environments is a major driver of land degradation. This study examined the impact of waterpoints on woody plant species composition and structure in the Omuntele communal rangeland, Namibia. Fieldwork was conducted during the dry season at three waterpoints within the rangeland. The study employed a randomised block design, with quadrats placed at 50 m intervals radiating from each waterpoint. Results show the effects of distance from waterpoints on species richness, abundance, diversity, and evenness of woody species. The results further reveal variations in woody plant structural attributes across distance from waterpoints. Pearson’s correlation indicated complex relationships between woody vegetation composition and structure, suggesting an interplay between vegetation structural attributes, richness, diversity, and evenness. The findings improved our understanding of ecological dynamics in rangeland ecosystems, particularly concerning how structural variations affect ecological functions. For example, alterations in vegetation structure may have an impact on it’s grazing and browsing value for livestock, and forest resource availability to the local communities. They may also influence biodiversity within the area due to habitat change. These revelations are essential for developing sustainable land management strategies that meet the requirements of communities and their livestock.

Assessment of agricultural drought severity using multi-temporal remote sensing data in Lorestan region

Agricultural drought is a complex phenomenon with major impacts on ecosystems, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. This study examines drought severity in Lorestan, Iran, using spatial analysis of vegetation indices, including the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), Temperature Condition Index (TCI), and Vegetation Health Index (VHI). Landsat images from 2004, 2014, and 2024 were processed using TerrSet software to assess drought trends. The results show a clear increase in drought severity in Lorestan over the past 20 years, with fewer areas free from drought and more regions facing mild to moderate drought conditions. The analysis of results reveals that drought-free areas changed by approximately 14.7%, while areas under mild drought increased by 6.5% and moderate drought by 8.2%. These shifts show a strong correlation with observed land degradation (bare land + 8.1%, dense vegetation − 8.5%), confirming heightened ecosystem stress through integrated drought indices. This trend indicates a growing threat to crops, water resources, and ecosystem stability. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of using vegetation indices like NDVI, VCI, TCI, and VHI for monitoring drought patterns. These tools can help detect early warning signs, allowing farmers and policymakers to take timely action. To reduce the damaging effects of drought, improved water management, sustainable farming practices, and long-term adaptation strategies are urgently needed. By incorporating these monitoring techniques into regular assessments, authorities can better prepare for and respond to future droughts, protecting both agriculture and the environment.

Major Aspects of Land Degradation and Its Management from Various Methods: A General Review

Land is an important component for any country, which provides food, shelter, fiber, and many other things that are essential for living beings. Land is a non-renewable natural resource that is degraded day by day by different types of natural and manmade practices. Land degradation is caused by different factors, including climate, natural, and anthropogenic activity can deteriorate land quality and degrade the land for agricultural practices. The agricultural sector is directly affected by land quality, which impacts agricultural production. Due to rapid changes in climatic conditions, deforestation at high risk, the desertification process, soil erosion, salinization or alkalization of soil, water logging, and depletion of organic carbon in soil are the major components of land degradation across the world. Management of land for different methods which are important to manage the activity of these components, and properly managing all the factors is responsible for soil degradation. Management of land by various methods, by covering the land with crop residue, using alternative fuel, replanting trees, and making different policies regarding land degradation. Organic farming is an important component in controlling land degradation. This review focuses on different types of soil degradation methods and their effect on crop productivity and the environment, and how it is managed by various methods.

Bamboo for global sustainability: A systematic review of its environmental and ecological implications, climate action, and biodiversity contributions

Bamboo has garnered significant attention over the past two decades as a sustainable resource with a wide array of environmental benefits and emerged as a crucial resource in addressing global sustainability challenges. This systematic review synthesizes bibliometric data from the Web of Science (WOS) spanning 2004 to 2024, to explore the role of bamboo in global sustainability, focusing on its environmental advantages, biodiversity contributions, carbon sequestration potential, and the ecosystem services—provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural, it provides. Despite growing interest in bamboo's ecological benefits, substantial research gaps exist regarding its long-term effects on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, as well as the full extent of its role in mitigating climate impacts. This review aims to address these gaps by providing a comprehensive analysis of published research and offering new insights into bamboo's multifaceted contributions to a number of environmental benefits and achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs). The novelty of this review lies in its integration of bibliometric analysis and qualitative synthesis, ensuring a thorough understanding of trends, key research areas, and potential future directions. The methodology includes data extraction from WOS, followed by trend analysis, citation mapping, and thematic synthesis. Key findings reveal that bamboo plays a crucial role in carbon sequestration, biodiversity preservation, and soil conservation, while also enhancing water quality and mitigating land degradation. This indicates bamboo’s transformative potential in addressing climate change, promoting biodiversity, and supporting sustainable livelihoods. Furthermore, the study identifies critical gaps in research and policy integration, stressing the need for coordinated global efforts to fully realize bamboo’s benefits including its adaptability across different ecosystems, as well as its potential in combating global challenges such as climate change and deforestation. This comprehensive review offers implications for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners seeking sustainable solutions in land management, climate action, and biodiversity conservation. The findings underscore bamboo’s unique potential as an eco-friendly, low-cost, and scalable solution for fostering global sustainability. The benefits of this study extend to promoting bamboo’s integration into conservation practices and green infrastructure projects globally.

Mitigating Erosion and Enhancing Sediment Retention: A Modeling Approach to Sustainable Land Management

Abstract Soil erosion poses a critical threat to global ecosystems, water resources, and agricultural productivity. This study assesses how Sustainable Land Management (SLM) mitigates sediment export and improves climate resilience using the InVEST Sediment Delivery Ratio (SDR) model across 12 Moroccan basins, representative of Mediterranean and arid environments. Our results identify significant hotspots in northern basins, where steep slopes and annual rainfall exceeding 500 mm drive erosion rates up to 14,700 tons per year, contributing substantially to downstream sediment transport. Conversely, arid basins exhibit lower erosion rates due to reduced precipitation and gentler slopes but struggle with sediment retention, with efficiencies below 50%. SLM interventions, such as a 25% increase in soil organic matter in agricultural lands, reduced sediment export by over 25% in northern basins and decreased sediment loss by more than 1 ton per hectare annually in vulnerable agricultural areas. These measures were especially effective in forested and terraced landscapes, enhancing sediment retention and minimizing impacts on reservoirs and water systems. This study underscores the dynamic nature of erosion and sediment transport under varying environmental and management conditions. By integrating high-resolution spatial data with scenario-based modeling, it provides a transferable framework for implementing SLM practices in erosion-prone regions. The findings emphasize the necessity of adaptive management to address soil erosion and inform sustainable land-use planning globally. Graphical Abstract This Graphical Abstract visually summarizes the study’s key findings on the role of Sustainable Land Management (SLM) in mitigating soil erosion and sediment export. The diagram outlines the methodology and key variables influencing erosion processes, using the Sediment Delivery Ratio (SDR) model to assess the impacts of SLM interventions. The left section of the figure highlights the study area in Morocco, covering 102 sub-basins across 12 hydrological basins, where erosion processes were analyzed. It illustrates a comparison between the current scenario and an SLM scenario, where agricultural lands experience a 25% increase in soil organic matter. In the central section, key environmental factors—land use, rainfall, soil erodibility (K Factor), and slope—are depicted as primary variables influencing sediment dynamics. These factors interact with SDR outputs, affecting soil loss, sediment export, and deposition patterns. The SDR model application (bottom-left) integrates these variables to simulate erosion processes, generating spatial outputs such as RUSLE, sediment export, sediment deposition, avoided export, and avoided erosion. The results demonstrate the differences between the current scenario and the SLM intervention, emphasizing the potential of improved land management practices. On the right side, statistical analysis results highlight the relationships between precipitation, slope, soil erodibility, and sediment transport across the study basins. The conclusion box presents the main findings: A 25% increase in soil organic matter reduces sediment loss by > 1 ton/ha annually. Scenario-based modeling provides a transferable framework for SLM applications. SLM significantly decreases soil erosion and sediment export, enhancing climate resilience. This graphical representation provides a clear and concise visual synthesis of the study, facilitating a better understanding of erosion processes and SLM effectiveness in mitigating land degradation.

From Ongoing Streams of Evidence to Final Synthesis

Background: Protecting the global environment requires complex program and project designs intended to produce multiple benefits in the various environmental domains (biodiversity, land degradation, water, climate change, and pollution) while benefiting the people, especially local communities living in the areas of intervention. In this context, learning is a key requirement to which independent evaluation must contribute. This necessitates bringing together streams of evidence from multiple perspectives and sources. Purpose: The article brings out lessons learned in designing and conducting comprehensive evaluations of large-scale programs and projects funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) using streams of evidence. It also describes the utility and utilization of such evaluations for making decisions about future funding. Setting; GEF is the oldest public financier for the global environment and serves as a financial mechanism to five multilateral environmental agreements in the areas of biodiversity, climate change, land degradation, and pollutants. Intervention: Comprehensive evaluations of the GEF. Research Design: Not applicable. Data Collection and Analysis: Not applicable. Findings: The article draws upon the sixth and seventh comprehensive evaluations of the GEF, which were key inputs to the Fund’s replenishment negotiations. The article outlines the transition from standalone studies to continuous evaluation streams, which provided real-time insights to improve decision-making in the GEF. These evaluations assessed the GEF’s continued relevance and ability to effectively support the recipient countries in protecting the global environment. The evaluations covered project performance, governance, integration in programming, and transformational impact, as well as methodologies and addressing emerging challenges like financial constraints and the pandemic’s impact. The findings of these evaluations directly influenced GEF’s strategic direction and policy, leading to program refinements. The comprehensive evaluation experience demonstrates to the power of bringing together evidence from multiple studies into a stream that can provide both timely information on specific aspects and a comprehensive diagnostic of an organisation’s performance, strengths and weaknesses.

Toward Resilient Implementation of Land Degradation Neutrality via Systemic Approaches

Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) is an ambitious initiative by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to tackle land degradation. Inspired by the “no net loss” concept, LDN seeks to counterbalance unavoidable land degradation—primarily driven by food systems—through targeted regenerative actions at multiple scales—such as regenerative agriculture or grazing practices that simultaneously support production and preserve land fertility. The objective is to ensure that degradation does not surpass the 2015 baseline. While the UNCCD’s Science–Policy Interface provides guidance and the LDN Target Setting Programme has led many countries to define baselines using agreed indicators (soil organic carbon, land use change, and primary productivity), concrete intervention strategies often remain poorly defined. Moreover, the voluntary nature of LDN has limited its effectiveness. A key shortcoming is the lack of integrated planning. LDN should function as a “Plan of Plans”—a coordinating framework to align policies across sectors and scales, reconciling conflicting agendas in areas such as food, energy, and water. To this end, we advocate for a systemic approach to uncover synergies, manage trade-offs, and guide decision-making in complex socio-ecological landscapes. Land degradation is intricately linked to issues such as food insecurity, land acquisitions, and transboundary water stress. Although LDN is implemented at the national level, its success also depends on accounting for global dynamics—particularly “LDN leaks”, where land degradation is outsourced through international trade in food and raw materials. In an increasingly complex world shaped by globalization, resource depletion, and unpredictable system dynamics, effective responses demand an integrated socio-ecological management approach. LDN is not simply a strategy to address desertification. It offers a comprehensive framework for sustainable resource management, enabling the balancing of trade-offs and the promotion of long-term resilience.

Perceived Environmental Impacts of the Katsina-Kano Highway: A Community Perspective on Noise, Air Pollution, and Road Safety

This study examines the environmental impacts of the Katsina-Kano road project on local communities, focusing on areas of noise pollution, air quality, land degradation, and safety concerns. Using a survey questionnaire, interview and FGD, the findings revealed that accidents appeared to be the most significant issue affecting road users and residents in the area, suggesting the need for enhanced safety interventions like improved signage and stricter law enforcement. Noise and air pollution also emerged as notable concerns, though comparatively lower significance. Results were presented using percentage frequency distribution table and charts. Compared mean of each environmental variable was computed where noise pollution has 2.2891, air pollution has 2.2839, accident with 2.1328, destruction of vegetation with 2.3229, destruction of buildings with 2.3281 and land pollution with 2.3620. The paper proposes specific mitigation strategies and policy recommendations to minimize accidents for sustainable road management and enhanced welfare of the community and other road users.

Soil and water conservation technologies for rainfed area of hilly region: A case study of Jammu District

Rainwater is the most important potential source of soil moisture and surface water for agriculture farming system particularly in rainfed area. Shiwalik foothill region of Jammu and Kashmir UT locally known as Kandi is spread mainly Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts of Jammu region. The area mainly lies on low hills which join with foot hills of Himalaya’s and extended from Jammu to Uttarakhand. Agriculture of the area is totally depends upon mercy of rain. The soil loss has affected the agricultural production and hydrological regime to large extent. Flashy flow has denuded most of the top fertile soil. Due to undulating topography and gushing speed of runoff thus area remain short of water throughout the year except during rainy season. The major land and water management problems are being faced in this area includes excessive runoff, soil erosion, land degradation and erratic distribution of rainfall with space and time results in sizable loss of soil and nutrients are primarily responsible for low productivity and poor economic status of the farmers. Agrarian community suffers from water scarcity. Keeping this in view different soil and water conservation measures like poly tank, percolation tank, recharging pit, roof water harvesting system, earthen embankment, contour bunding, continuous contour trenching, bench terracing gabion structures and efficient irrigation system like gravity feed drip irrigation system and portable sprinkler kit were constructed/installed and demonstrated at the farmer’s field at three villages namely Gargal, Kandi and Godhan of Akhnoor Tehsil of Jammu district of J&K UT under DST funded project entitled “Demonstration of technologies for improving productivity of rainfed area in Jammu district. It was found that productivity of the area raised by 80-90% due to technological interventions under the project. It was also found that water table in the open well was increased by 1-1.5 m and water retention period in the well was increased by 30-45 days due to construction of recharging pit at the upstream side of the open well. Availability of water in poly tank and roof water harvesting structures encouraged farmer for growing vegetables crops thus enhanced their income.

Comprehensive Proposal for the Rehabilitation of the Acequia del Diablo (Teruel, Spain): Revitalizing Irrigation and Cultural Heritage

The preservation of historic irrigation infrastructure is vital for sustainable water management, especially in regions grappling with rural depopulation, land degradation, and wildfire risk. This study presents a rehabilitation framework for the Acequia del Diablo (Teruel, Spain), a centuries-old gravity-fed canal that supported 60 hectares of agriculture and contributed to ecological connectivity. Its deterioration—following landslides in 1992 and water source loss in 2020—has led to land abandonment, biodiversity decline, and increased wildfire vulnerability. The proposed solution, centered on restoring the original intake at the Azud de Fonseca and stabilizing damaged sections, reestablishes water autonomy and integrates heritage conservation into water governance. A multi-criteria analysis identified this gravity-based alternative as the most technically, economically, and environmentally viable. Drawing from precedents in the literature, the conservation and rehabilitation of historical irrigation systems play a crucial role in sustainable water management in rural areas; this initiative offers a replicable model for other Mediterranean and semi-arid areas. However, challenges include engineering complexity in unstable terrain, administrative delays, and long-term maintenance. Despite these, this intervention enhances rural resilience, wildfire prevention, and biodiversity, while aligning with circular economy principles and European Green Deal objectives.