The Global Impacts of Land Degradation: Final Report and Peer Review

1. The Global Impacts of Land Degradation: Final Report and Peer Review Michael Stocking Vice-Chair, STAP-GEF International Workshop GEF Land Degradation Focal Area Indicators FAO, Rome 8 January 2007

2. Purpose Three papers commissioned by STAP on behalf of the IA Task Force on Land Degradation This meeting to: • Present final outputs, especially scientific and technical findings • Contribute to the development of global indicators for the focal area • Peer review the papers prior to publication as GEF documents

3. Global Impacts of Land Degradation Objectives of paper: • A typology of impacts, including synergistic • Current state of knowledge of impacts • Analysis of degree of certainty • Gap analysis of what scientific inputs now needed

4. “GEF activities in the in the area of land degradation clearly produce global benefits through promoting ecosystem integrity even though the challenges being addressed most often have their origin in local and national activities.” Source: Scope and Coherence of the Land Degradation Activities in the GEF, page 10 [GEF/C.24/6, October 19, 2004]

5. Typology of Global Impacts • Impact on global systems • Climate, biodiversity, human development • Impact on ecosystem services • Cf. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment goods/services • By land-related processes • E.g. deforestation • By production systems • Rainfed, irrigated, rangeland, forest • By type of management system causing LD • E.g. over-grazing, vegetation clearance

6. Impacts by process

7. Impacts on ecosystem services

8. Impacts on biophysical components

9. Impacts by production systems

10. Impacts by type of practice causing land degradation Plots near Landruk, W. Nepal

11. Ecosystem Services and Global Impacts

12. A simple impact matrix Major and best-recognised linkages Important positive (reinforcing) feedback loops

13. Global Environmental and Developmental Impacts • Useful to distinguish • An enormous scientific literature especially on climate change impact • However, not many inter-linkages defined explicitly • Few frameworks – but note LADA’s DPSIR

14. LD linkages made operational Source: Gisladottir & Stocking, 2005

15. The MA Model –Feedback Loops in Global Change Source: MA, 2004; Gisladottir & Stocking, 2005

16. LD and human development impact GEF and MDGs “Land degradation has triggered large-scale population movements, disrupted economic development prospects, aggravated regional conflicts, and threatened the lives and livelihoods of people living under its shadow. The GEF sees the path to ending poverty and hunger as one that must involve sound environmental management and sustainable development practices.” (GEF, 2005b)

17. Poverty alleviation Food security Livelihoods Global 1 Biodiversity Climate Change World’s Land Resources Sustainable Land Management Land Degradation Control Techniques & approaches Laws & institutions 5 Knowledge & research Strategies & policies 2 3 Local 4 1 Future R&D agendas Priority topics in SLM Global environmental change components A conceptual view of LD/SLM linkages

18. Certainty and Knowledge Gaps

19. Some conclusions……. • A rich literature – we cited 170 papers • A matrix of impacts (Table 30, p.53): light, medium, strong • Impacts, direct and indirect, vary hugely • Scale of impact is a key consideration • Linkage of spatial and temporal scales important • Most persuasive impacts are those that impact on global processes • But practically all impacts have indirect global impacts • Very difficult to calculate incremental benefits – precision is impossible

20. Our final words….. “It is possible to make a claim for the global impact of land degradation in all major instances of unsustainable land management. The question will be whether this is what the international community wants – and that is an economic and political issue, not a scientific one.”