Linking degradation assessment to sustainable land management: A decision support system for Kalahari pastoralists

This paper describes a manual-style Decision Support System that integrates land degradation indicators with adaptive management options and is designed for land managers to easily collect data and monitor progress towards environmental sustainability goals. A number of similar tools have been devel...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of arid environments 2010, Vol.74 (1), p.149-155
Main Authors: Reed, M.S., Dougill, A.J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Applied ecology
Assessments
Biological and medical sciences
Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife
Decision support systems
Degradation
early warning systems
Electronics
Environmental degradation: ecosystems survey and restoration
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Indicators
innovation adoption
Innovations
Land
Land degradation
land management
Management
Manual
Manuals
Monitoring
Participation
pastoralism
range management
Rangeland
rangelands
Synecology
Terrestrial ecosystems
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Summary:This paper describes a manual-style Decision Support System that integrates land degradation indicators with adaptive management options and is designed for land managers to easily collect data and monitor progress towards environmental sustainability goals. A number of similar tools have been developed for ranchers in southern Africa, but there has been little help for land managers under common property regimes. Manuals were therefore primarily designed for use by communal pastoralists in three study areas in the Kalahari, Botswana. Separate manuals were developed for each study area in response to the differences in indicators and management options deemed relevant for each by local communities. The design of the DSS has been optimised using an “innovation-decision” approach combined with local and external expert review to enhance the likelihood of widespread uptake and application by land managers. Manuals are designed for regular use by pastoralists to identify detrimental environmental change early, and guide sustainable management responses. The recommended assessment procedure is flexible, and designed to make recording and interpretation of results simple for users. Full copies of each manual (in English) are provided (electronic version only).
ISSN:0140-1963
1095-922X
DOI:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2009.06.016