WOCAT Apps for Convergence of Evidence
One of the core challenges to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) and Integrated Land Use Planning (ILUP) is to spatially identify, and strategically prioritise, the areas to implement actions to avoid, reduce and reverse land degradation.
To achieve this, WOCAT has co-developed Apps with different countries and projects to facilitate informed decision making.
WOCAT Apps are spatially explicit interactive tools to integrate indicators that support the scaling-up of sustainable land management (SLM) and achieving national LDN targets. They can be used to facilitate planning discussions, perform participatory and data-driven assessments of land degradation across scales and integrate socio economic, soil, biodiversity and climate data. They have become in many cases LDN Decision Support Systems.
Each app is different and has a different purpose, datasets and functionalities. Anyone can use them to easily compare results and obtain statistics at different spatial scales and landscapes. Many include a multi-criteria module to identify areas with specific characteristics to prioritise different types of interventions.
The app´s code is shared as a repository at Earth Engine and can be adapted to and used by other countries and regions. See our paper (Teich et al. 2023) for more information and just click on the apps below to start using them!
LDN Decision Support Systems
These apps, also used as LDN Decision Support Systems (LDN DSS) by different countries, include the results of participatory processes for mapping Land degradation and estimating SDG 15.3.1, including the 3 LDN sub indicators and final degradation map. They also include additional indicators and maps selected by each country experts, including national, regional and global maps of land degradation, soil properties, protected areas, key biodiversity areas, precipitation trends, fire intensities, sustainable land management practices, etc. The LDN DSS allows decision makers to easily compare results and obtain statistics across spatial scales and landscapes, including a multi-criteria module to identify areas with specific characteristics to prioritise different types of interventions to achieve the country's LDN targets. The principle of convergence of evidence can be applied to identify hotspots of degradation as well as areas of false positives/negatives.
Land Cover Transition Analysis Apps
These apps allow users to compare alternative land cover datasets and re-categorizations as well as alternative land cover transition matrixes. With just a few clicks the transitions for different periods can be explored, as well as the final degradation due to land cover change maps (SO1-1). Statistics at different spatial scales, and for different periods, as well as resulting maps are easily obtained. For example, Bhutan experts used the app to compare alternative re-classifications of ESA CCI Land cover National, and alternative global land cover maps. Colombia compared alternative reclassifications of their national land cover maps.
Land Productivity Dynamics (LPD) Comparison Apps
These apps allow users to interactively compare and validate alternative LPD maps (SO1-2). Statistics at different spatial scales are shown in the app, and experts can use their own knowledge to validate the different LPD maps (for example FAO-WOCAT LPD, JRC, Trends.Earth, etc) by looking at known areas that are hotspots of brightspots. Stakeholders from different sectors can discuss in groups and vote for the most representative LPD map. For example, Panama experts compared 5 different LPD maps using the LPD Comparison Tool and chose an LPD map obtained with Trends.Earth, whereas experts from Bhutan chose WOCAT-FAO LPD map for PRAIS4 report.
