Indicators in the

UNCCD context:

Monitoring &

Evaluation

UNCCD Strategy

Land Degradation

Neutrality

United Nations Convention

to Combat Desertification

GLOBALANDS Project

4th International Expert Workshop

Paris 6-7 October 2014

Outline Overall scope The UNCCD indicator-based monitoring system

Decisions made at COP.11 and recommendations of

the Group of Experts Operationalizing Land Degradation Neutrality

Questions for debate

Subject

Since the adoption of the 10-year Strategy by the

Parties in 2007 (decision 3/COP.8) , the UNCCD has

set up a indicator-based system for reviewing and

assessing the performance and impact of

implementing the UNCCD

The Performance Review and Assessment of

Implementation System (PRAIS) represents a

fundamental step forward towards improved evidence-

based decision-making within the UNCCD

Overall scope

Subject Refinement of

indicators

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Ye

ars

M

ilest

on

es

Preliminary

studies Scientific peer review

Acti

viti

es

Pilot

Reporting

AGTE – assessment and

further refinement Iterative process

(1st iteration)

Application by

countries

COP 8

adoption of The

Strategy

COP 9

decision 17 on

iterative process

COP 10

decision 19 on

AGTE

COP 11

Revised set of

impact

indicators CRIC 9

1st report against

performance

CRIC 11

1st report against

impact

CST S-3

2nd Scientific

Conference

Based on a series

of studies carried

out in the

biennium 2008-

2009, the COP

decided

provisionally to

accept a

proposed,

minimum but not

exclusive, set of

eleven impact

indicators to

measure

progress against

S.O. 1-3.

Subject Decision 17 COP.9

SO1: To improve the living conditions of affected populations

Poverty rate

Water availability per capita

Food consumption per capita

SO2: To improve the condition of ecosystems

Degree of land degradation

Drought index

Capacity of soils to sustain agro-pastoral use

Change in land use

Land cover status

Plant and animal biodiversity

SO3: To generate global benefits through effective implementation of the UNCCD

Carbon stocks above and below ground

Land under SLM

Subject Refinement of

indicators

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Ye

ars

M

ilest

on

es

Preliminary

studies Scientific peer review

Acti

viti

es

Pilot

Reporting

AGTE – assessment and

further refinement Iterative process

(1st iteration)

Application by

countries

COP 8

adoption of The

Strategy

COP 9

decision 17 on

iterative process

COP 10

decision 19 on

AGTE

COP 11

Revised set of

impact

indicators CRIC 9

1st report against

performance

CRIC 11

1st report against

impact

CST S-3

2nd Scientific

Conference

Monitoring & Evaluation approach

• Indicators, both global and national/local

• A conceptual framework that allows integrating

indicators

• Indicators sourcing and management mechanisms at

national/local levels

AGTE AGTE

For the purpose of reporting on progress indicators affected

Parties are required to delineate affected areas according to

the text of the Convention (decision 22/COP.11)

AGTE AGTE Indicators Metrics/Proxies

Strategic Objective 1 : To improve the living conditions of affected populations

Trends in population living below the relative poverty line and/or income inequality in affected areas

Poverty severity (or squared poverty gap) or Income inequality

Trends in access to safe drinking water in affected areas

Proportion of population using an improved

drinking water source

Strategic Objective 2: To improve the condition of ecosystems

Trends in land cover structure

Vegetative land cover structure

Trends in land productivity or functioning of the land

Land productivity dynamics

Strategic Objective 3: To generate global benefits through effective implementation of the

UNCCD

Trends in carbon stocks above and below ground

Soil organic carbon stock

Total terrestrial system carbon stock

Trends in abundance and distribution of selected species

Global Wild Bird Index

Conceptual integration framework

Desertification is a global problem…

Source: USDA NRCS -- http://soils.usda.gov/use/worldsoils/mapindex/desert.html

…manifest locally

Sources: Stefano Oronti, UNCCD, EcoMENA

…with local solutions

Source: PRACTICE Netweb -- http://practice-netweb.eu/

Indicators may be used in common globally…

Source: European Space Agency - © ESA 2010 and UCLouvain

ESA’s GLobcover 2009

Map

Secretariat • To provide affected countries with national estimates of each respective metrics of

the progress indicators • To improve access to and use of tools and methods and data needed through SKBP

…but may not be equally sensitive in all countries

Source: World Factbook - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Percent_poverty_world_map.png

Population Living Below

National Poverty Line

Parties verify national estimate based on global data

sources or replace with those calculated on their own data

AGTE COP.11

Parties are encouraged to complement the set of common

progress indicators with formal and narrative indicators at

national/local scale based on existent data collection

systems and database and from local storylines (dec

22/COP.11)

Storyline: the documented history of successes and failures which were experienced by a particular site threatened by DLDD processes

Subject AGTE

THE CHALLENGES OF INTEGRATING

INFORMATION FROM LOCAL TO GLOBAL LEVELS

Scaling up

(local>national>global)

cannot always be accomplished

by aggregation

Source: http://www.therevenution.com

Combining and/or comparing

potentially different indicators

from different countries : Lack of

standardization / harmonization

It is recommended

to build a positive

feedback loop

(both ways)

between local and

global scales

supported by a

coordination

system across

spatial and

governance levels.

Source: Patrick Klitenberg

Land Degradation Neutrality

The Future we want:

206. We recognized the need for urgent

action to reverse land degradation. In

view of this, we will strive to achieve a

land-degradation neutral world in the

context of sustainable development

207 We reaffirm our resolve in

accordance with the UNCCD to take

coordinated action nationally, regionally

and internationally to monitor, globally,

land degradation and restore degraded

lands

Degradation

Restoration

Baseline

Sustainable Development Goals

• Goal 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss – by 2020 ensure conservation, restoration and sustainable use of

terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements

– by 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests, and increase afforestation and reforestation by x% globally

– by 2020, combat desertification, and restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land-degradation neutral world

• Challenges: – What do we understand as LDN? – Scoping: scales and domain – Defining target areas: mapping degradation – Prescribing relevant management practices – Monitoring and evaluation

• The consultation process established by the UN Statistics Commission

• UNCCD with its partners identified existing land-based indicators and datasets

• the establishment of scientifically defensible, even if imperfect, baselines for constructing a functional monitoring and evaluation framework for a LD goal/LDN target

• LDN pilot project in 14 countries

Land Degradation Neutrality

Indicator for land degradation?, sustainable management?,

restoration?, land-based adaptation?

• Scales issues

• Stakeholder perspective

– Institutions competition

• Integration

– Scientists vs. decision-makers;policy-makers

– Many vs. the “one-size fits all” (the GDP syndrome)

Thank you!

Dr . Barron. J. Orr Univ. Arizona is acknowledged for providing some slides of his presentation to

the CRIC 11 Panel session on “Translating impact monitoring into actions”