TY - JOUR
T1 - Assessing the effectiveness of sustainable land management policies for combating desertification
T2 - A data mining approach
AU - Salvati, L.
AU - Kosmas, C.
AU - Kairis, O.
AU - Karavitis, C.
AU - Acikalin, S.
AU - Belgacem, A.
AU - Solé-Benet, A.
AU - Chaker, M.
AU - Fassouli, V.
AU - Gokceoglu, C.
AU - Gungor, H.
AU - Hessel, R.
AU - Khatteli, H.
AU - Kounalaki, A.
AU - Laouina, A.
AU - Ocakoglu, F.
AU - Ouessar, M.
AU - Ritsema, C.
AU - Sghaier, M.
AU - Sonmez, H.
AU - Taamallah, H.
AU - Tezcan, L.
AU - de Vente, J.
AU - Kelly, C.
AU - Colantoni, A.
AU - Carlucci, M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2016/12/1
Y1 - 2016/12/1
N2 - This study investigates the relationship between fine resolution, local-scale biophysical and socioeconomic contexts within which land degradation occurs, and the human responses to it. The research draws on experimental data collected under different territorial and socioeconomic conditions at 586 field sites in five Mediterranean countries (Spain, Greece, Turkey, Tunisia and Morocco). We assess the level of desertification risk under various land management practices (terracing, grazing control, prevention of wildland fires, soil erosion control measures, soil water conservation measures, sustainable farming practices, land protection measures and financial subsidies) taken as possible responses to land degradation. A data mining approach, incorporating principal component analysis, non-parametric correlations, multiple regression and canonical analysis, was developed to identify the spatial relationship between land management conditions, the socioeconomic and environmental context (described using 40 biophysical and socioeconomic indicators) and desertification risk. Our analysis identified a number of distinct relationships between the level of desertification experienced and the underlying socioeconomic context, suggesting that the effectiveness of responses to land degradation is strictly dependent on the local biophysical and socioeconomic context. Assessing the latent relationship between land management practices and the biophysical/socioeconomic attributes characterizing areas exposed to different levels of desertification risk proved to be an indirect measure of the effectiveness of field actions contrasting land degradation.
AB - This study investigates the relationship between fine resolution, local-scale biophysical and socioeconomic contexts within which land degradation occurs, and the human responses to it. The research draws on experimental data collected under different territorial and socioeconomic conditions at 586 field sites in five Mediterranean countries (Spain, Greece, Turkey, Tunisia and Morocco). We assess the level of desertification risk under various land management practices (terracing, grazing control, prevention of wildland fires, soil erosion control measures, soil water conservation measures, sustainable farming practices, land protection measures and financial subsidies) taken as possible responses to land degradation. A data mining approach, incorporating principal component analysis, non-parametric correlations, multiple regression and canonical analysis, was developed to identify the spatial relationship between land management conditions, the socioeconomic and environmental context (described using 40 biophysical and socioeconomic indicators) and desertification risk. Our analysis identified a number of distinct relationships between the level of desertification experienced and the underlying socioeconomic context, suggesting that the effectiveness of responses to land degradation is strictly dependent on the local biophysical and socioeconomic context. Assessing the latent relationship between land management practices and the biophysical/socioeconomic attributes characterizing areas exposed to different levels of desertification risk proved to be an indirect measure of the effectiveness of field actions contrasting land degradation.
KW - Human pressure
KW - Indicators
KW - Mediterranean region
KW - Multivariate statistics
KW - Response assemblage
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84992118287&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/context/gees-research/article/1064/viewcontent/Combined_20Manuscript.pdf
U2 - 10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.09.017
DO - 10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.09.017
M3 - Article
C2 - 27649608
SN - 0301-4797
VL - 183
SP - 754
EP - 762
JO - Journal of Environmental Management
JF - Journal of Environmental Management
ER -