Desire for Greener Land

Type of SLM measure
10
33%
5
17%
1
3%
5
17%
8
27%
Figure 4: Type of SLM measures.
No. of case studies
Type of SLM measure
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Cropping
management
Water
management
Cross-slope
barriers
Grazing land
management
SLM technology groups
1
3%
agronomic
vegetative / agronomic
vegetative
structural / vegetative
structural
management
DESIRE - WOCAT 2012
management
structural
structural / vegetative
vegetative
vegetative / agronomic
agronomic
tant functions of the DESIRE SLM technologies is an increase
of infiltration. This is found in all technology groups. Only
the grazing land management technologies group does not
include this function. Often an increased infiltration is envisaged
together with an increase or maintenance of water stored
in soil (see Figure 20 on increased soil moisture). Remarkably
this does not apply to the water management group, where
infiltration of water is rather a secondary aim after control of
concentrated runoff (Spain, Tunisia) or replenishment of saline
groundwater with surface freshwater (Greece).
Forest
management
DESIRE - WOCAT 2012
Figure 5: Type of SLM measures in relation to the SLM technology
groups.
Cape Verde, Erik van den Elsen
Technical functions
40
Cropping
management
Out of the many functions the technologies have, the following
need to be highlighted:
K Improvement of ground cover is a key function in all SLM
groups, except for water management. Several other
functions are related to improvement of soil cover, such
as increase of infiltration and, as a consequence, reduction
of surface runoff and erosion.
K Increase of infiltration is important, except in the grazing
land management group. Due to the envisaged improvement
in ground cover for both grazing land examples,
infiltration is most probably also improving, but not considered
specifically.
K Control of runoff appears everywhere, except in the grazing
land management group. For these two technologies
it is not a primary issue of concern.
K Improvement of soil structure can be found in all groups
as an aim of some, but rather few technologies.
K Increase in soil organic matter is mainly mentioned for
the cropping management technologies, where it plays
an important role as an input factor for agricultural productivity.
K Water harvesting appears mainly in water management
and partly for cross-slope barriers.
K Sediment retention is only attributed to cross-slope barriers.
K Increase of biomass / vegetation species is mainly related to
cross-slope barriers, but appears everywhere to some extent.
3 WOCAT, 2007
Analysis of assessed SLM technologies and approaches across DESIRE sites DESIRE – WOCAT 2012
No. of case studies
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Water
management
Cross-slope
barriers
Grazing land
management
SLM technology groups
Forest
management
control of fires
promotion of vegetation
species and varieties
increase of biomass (quantity)
sediment retention / trapping,
sediment harvesting
water harvesting / increase
water supply
increase of groundwater level,
recharge of groundwater
increase of infiltration
increase in organic matter /
nutrient cycling
improvement of soil structure
improvement of ground cover
reduction of slope angle / length
control of runoff
white dotted = secondary function
DESIRE - WOCAT 2012
Figure 6: Technical functions in relation to the SLM technology
groups. A technology may fulfil several types of functions
and the total sum of items displayed is therefore more
than the total of 30 technologies.
43