Phase One: Description and Assessment
Overview
Within the LDN framework, the assessment phase establishes the baseline against which LDN progress is assessed. This involves additional preliminary assessments in land potential and resilience, land stratification, and socio-economic/gender inclusion assessments. In relation to ILUP, assessment also takes stock of the roles and influence of relevant stakeholders and actors reflected in land tenure arrangements, governance structures, land conflicts, and access to ecosystem services.
Assessment background data: global and national land degradation reporting
• Based on UNCCD’s PRAIS4 Reporting Manual, which provides guidelines for country-level reporting on the degradation sub-indicators, and available datasets
Tools
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Tool |
Description |
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Restoration Opportunities Optimization Tool (ROOT) |
Optimization tool developed by IUCN that supports selection of areas for restoration of ecosystem services |
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Trends.Earth |
EO data tool used to assess the status of the three LDN indicators, both for initial assessment and monitoring of implementation progress |
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Visual Soil/Vegetation Guides |
Support expert judgement for rapid assessment of land condition (quality dependent on expert experience); produce estimations, not measurements |
SPI Objective 1 Technical Report_Advance Copy_Final_6May2022.pdf (unccd.int) - pp 112 |
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Siting Tool |
Combines spatial assessment and field measurements; desk study identifies optimal sampling sites or local of sensitive areas for a range of indicators; can be used to identify hotspots of change for further investigation to reveal underlying drivers |
SPI Objective 1 Technical Report_Advance Copy_Final_6May2022.pdf (unccd.int) - pp 112 |
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WOCAT-LADA-DESIRE Mapping Tool |
Tool facilitating systematic assessment by local experts encompassing key indicators and additional region-specific indicators (biophysical, socio-economic); both for initial assessment and monitoring of implementation progress |
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Social Tenure Domain Model |
Socio-economic analysis tool used to provide wider context for preliminary assessments of LDN framework |
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LandPKS |
Crowd-sourcing tool allowing participants to autonomously enter observations/knowledge in a web application, for initial appraisal and monitoring (feedback from local stakeholders) |
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LADA Local Assessment tool |
Process-oriented tool facilitating stakeholder participation and ownership of planning and implementation process by providing categorization and selection mechanism of activities based on local needs, resources |
Microsoft Word - Local_manual_Part_2_final.doc (ipcinfo.org) |
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LUP4LDN |
Participatory land use planning tool that integrates LDN and is applicable to all LUP phases |
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Transect Walks |
Tool wherein experts and locals travel through an area, documenting landscape/land profile on a map (incl. land degradation extent) |
SPI Objective 1 Technical Report_Advance Copy_Final_6May2022.pdf (unccd.int) - pp 116 / Tool Name: Transect walk (worldbank.org) |
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Questionnaire on Sustainable Land Management Technologies |
Surveying tool and database to gather data on available land management technologies and their implementation; Involves interviewing land users on technology applicability and impact, inputs and costs + natural, human environment |
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Locality mapping |
Stakeholders individually/as a group map out a geographic unit containing boundaries and key features; final map contains features agreed upon by all stakeholders via discussion |
SPI Objective 1 Technical Report_Advance Copy_Final_6May2022.pdf (unccd.int) - pp 116-7 / Locality Mapping | SSWM - Find tools for sustainable sanitation and water management! |
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Context and community mapping |
Similar to locality mapping, but begins with expert mapping of land cover, incl. key uses, based on aerial imagery of area; local farmers then provide key points of interest on maps/satellite images (e.g. relating to land tenure); Alternative: Fit-For-Purpose Land Administration framework |
SPI Objective 1 Technical Report_Advance Copy_Final_6May2022.pdf (unccd.int) - pp 117 |
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Focus groups |
Tool for compiling local land use knowledge and related aspects (incl. Land degradation); can be supported by visual representation of land degradation indicator trends |
SPI Objective 1 Technical Report_Advance Copy_Final_6May2022.pdf (unccd.int) - pp 117 |
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Collect Earth |
Open-source satellite image viewing and interpretation system providing land cover and land use reference data for classifying and monitoring land |
Collect Earth - Desktop Version Collect Earth - Online Version |
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SEPAL |
System for land monitoring w/ access to earth observation data, processing and analysis, suitable for local needs |
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MapX |
Open-source cloud-based database (geospatial/earth observation data) for mapping and monitoring sustainable use of natural resources |
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WOCAT Earth Engine Apps |
Set of spatially-explicit tools that help identify priority areas for implementation of sustainable management practices and integration of indicators for monitoring and evaluation; specific to LDN |