Soil and land health monitoring for targeting restoration in degraded farmlands Cases from Peru and Uganda Tor-Gunnar Vågen, Valentina Robiglio, Madelon Lohbeck, Clement Okia, Roeland Kindt, Erick Opiyo and Jonathan Cornelius

Restoration- more than planting trees What to restore (baseline) towards what (target)? target Baseline From: IUCN 2012, Parks Canada 2008

Why indicators for land degradation? Assess baseline Identify priority areas for restoration Inform appropriate restoration strategies Monitor progress of restoration

MESSAGES Landscape restoration = multiple scale Degradation/ resilience = baseline from which to design restoration strategies towards achievable goals MESSAGES Landscape restoration = multiple scale Degradation/ resilience = baseline from which to design restoration strategies towards achievable goals Mosaic-landscape restoration framework

What makes a good indicator for land degradation? Reflects the complex processes of land degradation in landscapes Science-based Measurable Rapid Based on field assessment across multiple scales

Indicators for land degradation used IndicatorProcessMethod 1. Vegetation cover and tree diversity Biomass, productivity, soil retention Ground: tree density and diversity inventories Aerial: satellite images using Soil Adjusted Total Vegetation Index (SATVI) 2. Erosion prevalence (probability) Soil retention, soil nutrients, risk of landslides Ground: systematic observations Aerial: satellite images using reflectance spectra 3. Root-depth restrictions (probability, at given depth) Intensity of landuse (compaction), agricultural productivity, leads to erosion Ground: Auger-depth measurements, Aerial: satellite images using reflectance spectra 4. Soil organic carbonCarbon sink, soil health, productive capacity Ground: Soil analyses Aerial: satellite images using reflectance spectra

Uganda Peru 2 Case studies

Peru; Ucayali Extensive cattle raising Low population pressure Flat topography, seasonally flooded 56% grassland, 17% cropland, 16% thicket Uganda; ‘Mbale’ Mosaic of smallholder farming systems High population pressure Mountainous topography, landslides 90% cropland, 9% grassland

Indicator 1: Vegetation Fewer trees (concentrated), high diversity More trees (spread), high dominance

Indicator 2: Erosion prevalence Low erosion prevalence High erosion prevalence

Indicator 3: Root-depth restrictions Little root-depth restrictions, Overall low water infiltration capacity Little root-depth restrictions, Overall low water infiltration capacity High root-depth restrictions, reducing water infiltration capacity High root-depth restrictions, reducing water infiltration capacity

Indicator 4: Soil organic carbon Intermediate – high SOC Relatively low SOC

Target restoration strategies with indicators Peru Constraints: Low water infiltration and flat topography -> waterlogging Opportunities Fallows- natural regeneration, include enrichment planting with spp that resist waterlogging and provide benefits to farmers (e.g. timber spp) Develop silvopastoral systems with rotational grazing Uganda Constraints: High population density, landslides & erosion Opportunities Further stimulate agroforestry, enrich by planting native species that enhance soil health (e.g. Fleroya robustipulata, N-fixing species) Educating farmers on native species through ‘tree finder app’

‘Africa Tree Finder App’

Restoration is a priority Let’s not forget: – What are we restoring? (baseline) – What are we aiming towards? (targets) – Does our restoration-strategy work? (monitoring) Good indicators and consistent methods are vital