Transcript Diapositiva 1

Trends in Land Degradation in Latin America
and the Caribbean.
Arusha, Tanzania, 11-15 Dec. 2006
Dr. Fernando Santibañez
Center on Agriculture and Environment (AGRIMED)
University of Chile
Some facts about
Latin America and the Caribberan
One of the biggest reserves for new cultivable area
The greatest reserve of fresh water in the world
The richest reserve of plant and animal species
One thirth of the forests of the world
Some of the less disturbed biomes in the world
Due to its interaction with Antactic waters, has
the highest marine biodiversity
Emisiones industriales
Debido al cambio de uso de la tierra
Overgrazing
Erosion
Climate drivers
Human drivers
Soil denudation
Mining
Charcoal
Global changes
Slope cultivation
How climate change is affecting
this continent?
Climatic drivers for land degradation
Changes in Minimum temperatures
in the Western side of Los Andes
Present climate
(anual ΣT-10º)
+ 1.8 ºC
2*CO2
Year (month)
2001
1999
1997
1995
1993
1987
1985
1983
1982
1977
1975
1972
1970
1968
1966
1963
1960
1957
1955
1953
1948
Temperature ºC
T Max-Min in Copiapó (Chile)
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1948
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1959
1960
1961
1963
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1975
1976
1977
1978
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
Hours
Winter Chilling hours (Copiapo)
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
Tyear
Enero
Febrero
Marzo
Abril
Mayo
Junio
Julio
Agosto
Septiembre
Octubre
Noviembre
Diciembre
Annual rainfal
Pr e cipitación A n u al (mm)
(me dia móvil- 30 añ os)
Concepción 1930-2002
1340,0
1260,0
1180,0
1100,0
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
Año
year
1985
1990
1995
2000
Fournier index
Indice Modificado
de Fournier
La Serena
210
180
IMF
150
120
90
60
30
2000
1995
1990
1985
1980
1975
1970
1965
1960
1955
1950
1945
1940
1935
1930
0
Año
year
Indice Modificado de Fournier
Vicuña
240
210
180
120
90
60
30
Año
year
2000
1995
1990
1985
1980
1975
1970
1965
1960
1955
1950
1945
1940
1935
0
1930
IFM
150
Precipitation
Increase
2*CO2
Warm Amazonian
Higher
climatic variability
Polar
Andean
Precipitation
decrease
Cold
Patagonian steppes
Temperate
The most remarcable
expected modifications
How human activity is affecting
this continent?
The human drivers
Land use / Human activities
Marginal lands
good lands
Poverty
intensive agriculture
Unsound practices
due to lack of
technology
unsound practices due to
the lack of environmental
considerations.
Plan cover removal
and forest fires
soil compaction
salination
chemical deterioration
flooding
slope cultivation
overgrazing
soil erosion
decay of soil productivity
AGRI DESERTI
The LAC degradation cycle
afforestation
urbanization
mining
natural restoration
Population
pressure
H
L
Climate change
pressure
M
ES
Warm
LS
LS
LS
Andean
altiplano
HH
Cold
Chaco
HH
HL
M
Atacama
desert
LL
ES
NE Catinga
Dry Pampas
HL
ES
Patagonian
steppes
HL
Rain
Forest
HH
M
ES
ES
ES
Sclerophylus
forest
HH
Temperate
forest
HH
sub antarctic
Tundra
LH
Humid
Dry
Present situation of the main LAC Biomes
Guayaquil 1985
Guayaquil 2000
Iguazú 1973
Iguazú 2000
Rondonia 1975
Rondonia 2000
Santa Cruz 1975
Santa Cruz 2000
UNIT
UNITED
NATIONALENVIRONMENTAL PROGR
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL LATIN
FACILITYAMERICAN
MONITOR
STRUCTU
RE
EDITOR
STATISTICAL
MODULE
STATISTICAL
ANALYSIS
DATA BASE
FILTERS
DESERTIFICATION
INDICATORS
TIME MODELS
SIMULATOR
MODELS
MAPPING
TOOLS
MAPS
POVERTY =
INCOME +
HEALTH +
EDUCATION
USERS DEFINED
TIME TRENDS
CHANGE SCENARIOS THEMATIC LAYERS
ALGORITHMS
Monitor development
Pilot areas
UNEP/GEF
Erosion
Unsound agricultural practices
Salination
Soil fertility deterioration
Contamination
Irrigation with saline water
Compaction
Soil exposure to precipitation
Loss of OM
Soil
Contamination
Inefficient irrigation
Solid deposition
Slope cultivation
Mining
Physical
destruction
Degree of erosion
Degree of salination
Level of Pollution
Degree of compaction
OM content
Loss of agricultural lands
MONITOR
Structure
Editor
Histograms
Database
Filters
Maps
Matrices
Maps
Indicators
Tendencies
x2
Standards
Maps
Scenarios
Projects
Mexico
Chile
Biodiversity
Brazil
Mapas no a escala
Clearly, the war against desertification is won or lost at the local level
Fos this, we need to connect actors having diverse capacities.
Research
Participation
Action
Policy
Major symptoms of desertification in LAC
1. Loss of native vegetation
2. High topsoil erosion rate
3. Declining groundwater tables
4. Salinization of topsoil and water
5. Reduction of surface water
All of these symptoms show negative trends
Slope cultivation
Overgrazing
Habitat fragmentation
Deforestation
Soils
LAC has originally 6.93 millions Km2 of forests, it has been
reduced at present to 3.66.
The continent loss near 15.000 Km2 of forest every year
306 millions hectares are moderate or intense degradation
Irrigated lands are about 15 millions hectares, the most part of
them show simptoms of soil degradation
20% of physical surface is already degraded …are we waiting
for more?
Biodiversity
The region contains 40 per cent of the plant and animal species
of the planet.
The biota of all LAC countries are threatened.
Brazil has the second largest number of threatened bird species
(103 species) in the world, and Peru and Colombia occupy the fifth
place with 64 species each
A third of Chilean vertebrates are threatened
Brazil also has 71 threatened mammal species (the fourth highest in
the world).
More than 50 per cent of Argentinean mammals and birds are also
threatened.
Areas with large numbers of threatened birds tend also to have large
numbers of threatened mammals.
Will our economies continue to grow based on
environmental subsidies?
Will we halt this tendency before a real catastrophe?
Who will pay for…the crisis….the equilibrium?
Will the agriculture be able to take a relevant role to prevent
future (ecological, energy, water) crisis?
Will we have enough capacity to adapt to new planetary
situations? (this imply restrictions, opportunities and
decision)