Desertification caused by land degradation and overexploitation of natural resources is threatening large parts of eastern and southern Mediterranean. The actual state of desertification sensitivity in Lebanon was spa...Desertification caused by land degradation and overexploitation of natural resources is threatening large parts of eastern and southern Mediterranean. The actual state of desertification sensitivity in Lebanon was spatially assessed using site specific environmental bio-physical indicators, demographic pressure and socioeconomic conditions. Bio-physical assessment included the aridity index derived from integrated assessment of the historical data for 48 climatic stations spread throughout the country, the new detailed soil map at 1：50,000 scale, and the updated land cover/use map at 1：20,000 derived from IKONOS 2005. The methodology also included livelihood conditions and poverty at local administrative ＂Caza＂ level. Results showed the integrated impact of local climate, soil and vegetation quality and socioeconomic conditions on sensitivity to desertification. A total of 78% of the territories have low and very low climate quality index preconditioning the sensitivity to desertification. Fourteen Cazas out of 26 in total, representing more than 66% of the country, have low socioeconomic satisfaction index. Furthermore, negative trends are alleviated by good quality relict soils and vegetation cover. The actual extent of desertification covers 40.48% of the national territory, much of which occurs under semi-arid climate, moderate or low soil and vegetation quality and poor living conditions. The outcome of this research adjusted the previous coarse estimates of desertification prone areas at the national level. Results allow for realistic, policy oriented local assessment for responsive land use planning and proactive sustainable, national and local land management in the context of the national action plan to combat desertification.展开更多
文摘Desertification caused by land degradation and overexploitation of natural resources is threatening large parts of eastern and southern Mediterranean. The actual state of desertification sensitivity in Lebanon was spatially assessed using site specific environmental bio-physical indicators, demographic pressure and socioeconomic conditions. Bio-physical assessment included the aridity index derived from integrated assessment of the historical data for 48 climatic stations spread throughout the country, the new detailed soil map at 1：50,000 scale, and the updated land cover/use map at 1：20,000 derived from IKONOS 2005. The methodology also included livelihood conditions and poverty at local administrative ＂Caza＂ level. Results showed the integrated impact of local climate, soil and vegetation quality and socioeconomic conditions on sensitivity to desertification. A total of 78% of the territories have low and very low climate quality index preconditioning the sensitivity to desertification. Fourteen Cazas out of 26 in total, representing more than 66% of the country, have low socioeconomic satisfaction index. Furthermore, negative trends are alleviated by good quality relict soils and vegetation cover. The actual extent of desertification covers 40.48% of the national territory, much of which occurs under semi-arid climate, moderate or low soil and vegetation quality and poor living conditions. The outcome of this research adjusted the previous coarse estimates of desertification prone areas at the national level. Results allow for realistic, policy oriented local assessment for responsive land use planning and proactive sustainable, national and local land management in the context of the national action plan to combat desertification.
