Land Degradation Knowledge from IPBES Applied in New Study on Degraded Landscapes in Tanzania
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Researchers conducted a study using the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) definition of rangeland degradation as "persistent loss of vegetation productivity cover, especially of those plants which support herbivores."
The scientists aimed to identify whether degradation results from a loss of resistance to environmental shocks, or loss of recovery, in an area consisting of 30,300 km2 of the Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem and Maasai Steppe of northern Tanzania.
Quoting IPBES, researchers stated that "rangeland degradation has been defined as a long-term decline in productivity resulting in rangelands unsuitable for grazing (IPBES19), rather than short-term declines driven by temporal variability of environmental conditions (e.g. rainfall, grazing pressure)."
Researchers found "locations that ended up the most degraded tended to decline in condition more during years of widespread degradation but maintained their recovery potential. These results suggest that resilience in rangelands is lost through declines in resistance, rather than loss of recovery potential."
The scientists aimed to identify whether degradation results from a loss of resistance to environmental shocks, or loss of recovery, in an area consisting of 30,300 km2 of the Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem and Maasai Steppe of northern Tanzania.
Quoting IPBES, researchers stated that "rangeland degradation has been defined as a long-term decline in productivity resulting in rangelands unsuitable for grazing (IPBES19), rather than short-term declines driven by temporal variability of environmental conditions (e.g. rainfall, grazing pressure)."
Researchers found "locations that ended up the most degraded tended to decline in condition more during years of widespread degradation but maintained their recovery potential. These results suggest that resilience in rangelands is lost through declines in resistance, rather than loss of recovery potential."
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Land degradation and restoration assessment
2023-02-22
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