ABSTRACT

There are numerous terms for and de…nitions of land degradation that are a source of confusion, misunderstanding, and misinterpretation. A wide range of terms is used in the literature, often with distinct disciplinary-oriented meaning, and leading to misinterpretation among disciplines. Some common terms used are soil degradation, land degradation, and deserti…cation. While there is a clear distinction between soil and land (the term land refers to an ecosystem comprising land, landscape, terrain, vegetation, water, climate), there is no clear distinction between the terms land degradation and deserti…cation. Deserti…cation refers to land degradation in arid, semiarid, and subhumid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities [UNCCD 1994]. To compound the confusion even further, the term deserti…cation is also used by some scientists when land is damaged beyond (reasonable) repair. In the context of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’s State of Land and Water (SOLAW), land degradation is de…ned as the reduction in

10.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 471 10.2 Global Inventories of Land Degradation ...................................................... 472 10.3 The Capability of Ecosystems to Provide Goods and Services ................... 475 10.4 Land Degradation: The Change in the Provision of Ecosystem Goods

and Services .................................................................................................. 478 10.4.1 Biomass Health ................................................................................. 478 10.4.2 Soil Health Indicators and Trends .................................................... 478

10.5 Water Quantity and Quality .......................................................................... 479 10.6 Biodiversity Changes ....................................................................................480