摘要

Salinization caused by irrigation mismanagement is a major cause of desertification. Monitoring of land degradation caused by salinization and other processes has been subject to international scientific debates leading to the commitment by global decision-makers to address these threats collectively through the UNCCD. This paper discusses the experience of monitoring land and water degradation in the salinity-prone irrigated arid environments of the Northern Sahara in light of current international scientific developments affecting both conceptual and methodological approaches. The paper integrates a range of simple and accessible methods to achieve a multidisciplinary analysis including remote sensing, use of national research archives, interviews with decision-makers and direct surveys of cultivators. Revised assessments of the extent and ecological processes of salinization emerge from the analysis. As irrigated areas expand globally, the new conceptual and methodological techniques in dryland development science have the potential to enable scientists in affected areas to contribute to global efforts to monitor degradation effects caused by desiccation, salinity and human responses. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  • 出版日期2014-4