Land management is the process of managing the use and development of land resources.
Sustainable land management (SLM) is the set of practices and technologies that aim to integrate the management of land, water, and other environmental resources to meet human needs while ensuring long-term sustainability, ecosystem services, biodiversity, and livelihoods.: 2924 Sustainable forest management is a sub-category of sustainable land management.: 23
One aim of sustainable land management is to prevent or reverse land degradation. Another aim is to ensure water security by increasing soil moisture availability, decreasing surface runoff, and decreasing soil erosion. Land resources are used for a variety of purposes which may include for example agriculture, forestry, water resource management, human settlements and tourism. Unsustainable land managements leads to land being over- or misused which in turn degrades the land, reduces productivity and disrupts natural equilibriums.
Definition
The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report describes land management as "The sum of land-use practices (e.g., sowing, fertilising, weeding, harvesting, thinning and clear-cutting) that take place within broader land-use categories.": 2914 Land use itself is "The total of arrangements, activities and inputs applied to a parcel of land." Land use categories include: forest land, cropland (agricultural land), grassland, wetlands, settlements and other lands.: 2914
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) applies the term land management in a wide context. Besides agriculture and forestry, they include the mineral extraction sector, property and estate management: "Land management is the process by which the resources of land are put to good effect. It covers all activities concerned with the management of land as a resource both from an environmental and from an economic perspective. It can include farming, mineral extraction, property and estate management, and the physical planning of towns and the countryside.: 13
Sustainable land management
Sustainable land management (SLM) is a process in a charged environment between environmental protection and the guarantee claim of ecosystem services on the one hand. On the other hand, it is about productivity of agriculture and forestry with respect to demographic growth and increasing pressure in land use.
SLM has been defined in various reports as follows:
- By IPCC in 2022: "The stewardship and use of land resources, including soils, water, animals and plants, to meet changing human needs, while simultaneously ensuring the long-term productive potential of these resources and the maintenance of their environmental functions".: 2924 This wording is very similar to the longer wording used by the United Nations (UN) 1992 Rio Earth Summit in 1992: "The use of land resources, including soils, water, animals and plants, for the production of goods to meet changing human needs, while simultaneously ensuring the long-term productive potential of these resources and the maintenance of their environmental functions."
- By World Bank in 2006: "SLM is defined as a knowledge-based procedure that helps integrate land, water, biodiversity, and environmental management (including input and output externalities) to meet rising food and fiber demands while sustaining ecosystem services and livelihoods.: xiv
Purposes
One aim of sustainable land management is to prevent or reverse land degradation. Another aim is to ensure water security by increasing soil moisture availability, decreasing surface runoff, and decreasing soil erosion.
The IPCC stated that sustainable land management can play a role in climate change mitigation and adaptation.: 23 This takes place at various scales, at scales, namely "from individual farms to entire watersheds".: 23
A World Bank report in 2006 explained: "SLM is necessary to meet the requirements of a growing population. Improper land management can lead to land degradation and a significant reduction in the productive and service (biodiversity niches, hydrology, carbon sequestration) functions of watersheds and landscapes.": xiv
In climate change context
The IPCC's Special Report on Climate Change and Land (SRCCL) explains the linkages between sustainable land management and climate change mitigation. The full title of the report is the "Special Report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems".
The report's summary for policy makers explains that, "Many sustainable land management technologies and practices are profitable within three to 10 years (medium confidence). While they can require upfront investment, actions to ensure sustainable land management can improve crop yields and the economic value of pasture. Land restoration and rehabilitation measures improve livelihood systems and provide both short-term positive economic returns and longer-term benefits in terms of climate change adaptation and mitigation, biodiversity and enhanced ecosystem functions and services.": 35
Methods
Land management options exist to focus on healthy soils and to "reduce vulnerability to soil erosion and nutrient loss". Examples include "growing green manure crops and cover crops, crop residue retention, reduced/zero tillage, and maintenance of ground cover through improved grazing management".: 23 There are also land management options for farmers that build soil carbon and therefore provide important climate change mitigation benefits through carbon sequestration: "agroforestry, perennial pasture phases and use of perennial grains". All these methods reduce soil erosion and nutrient leaching.: 23
Land management options that "do not require land use change and do not create demand for more land conversion" include:: 20
- improved management of cropland and grazing lands,
- sustainable forest management, and
- increased soil organic carbon content.
For example in Ethiopia, "over 85% of the land is estimated to be moderately to severely degraded". The current practices of sustainable land management (SLM) involve a variety of structural and nonstructural elements integrated at the catchment scale, providing different roles in managing water resources. The structural measures (soil bunds, contour trenches, etc.) significantly improve infiltration and water storage potential of the agricultural landscapes. On the other hand, the nonstructural measures, such as the elimination of open grazing on communal grazing land and the abandonment of postharvest grazing on cultivated land, help improve the water retention capacity of the soils and reduce nonproductive evaporative water losses. In addition, the current practices of SLM attempts to sustain diverse land use mosaics at the catchment scale, including protected areas (gullied lands and communal grazing lands), cultivated land and home gardens, with the aim of harnessing potential uses, services, and values from a catchment.
See also
- Agenda 21 – United Nations action plan, 1992
- Carbon farming
- Conservation grazing – Use of animals to graze areas like nature reserves to maintain habitats
- Economics of Land Degradation Initiative – Global initiative for sustainable land management
- Special Report on Climate Change and Land – IPCC report
References
- IPCC, 2022: Annex II: Glossary [Möller, V., R. van Diemen, J.B.R. Matthews, C. Méndez, S. Semenov, J.S. Fuglestvedt, A. Reisinger (eds.)]. In: Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, M. Tignor, E.S. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, A. Alegría, M. Craig, S. Langsdorf, S. Löschke, V. Möller, A. Okem, B. Rama (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, US, pp. 2897–2930, doi:10.1017/9781009325844.029.
- IPCC, 2019: Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change and Land: an IPCC special report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems [P.R. Shukla, J. Skea, E. Calvo Buendia, V. Masson-Delmotte, H.- O. Pörtner, D. C. Roberts, P. Zhai, R. Slade, S. Connors, R. van Diemen, M. Ferrat, E. Haughey, S. Luz, S. Neogi, M. Pathak, J. Petzold, J. Portugal Pereira, P. Vyas, E. Huntley, K. Kissick, M. Belkacemi, J. Malley, (eds.)]. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009157988.001
- Dagnachew, Melku; Gebrehiwot, Solomon Gebreyohanis; Bewket, Woldeamlak; Alamirew, Tena; Charles, Katrina; Zeleke, Gete (2024). "Ensuring sustainable water security through sustainable land management: Research evidences for policy". World Water Policy. doi:10.1002/wwp2.12209. ISSN 2639-541X.
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Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License - Foley, J. A.; Defries, R.; Asner, G. P.; Barford, C.; Bonan, G.; Carpenter, S. R.; Chapin, F. S.; Coe, M. T.; Daily, G. C.; Gibbs, H. K.; Helkowski, J. H.; Holloway, T.; Howard, E. A.; Kucharik, C. J.; Monfreda, C.; Patz, J. A.; Prentice, I. C.; Ramankutty, N.; Snyder, P. K. (2005). "Global Consequences of Land Use". Science. 309 (5734): 570–574. Bibcode:2005Sci...309..570F. doi:10.1126/science.1111772. PMID 16040698. S2CID 5711915.
- "Land Administration Guideline. With Special Reference to Countries in Transition" (PDF). UN Economic Commission for Europe, Geneva, ECE/HBP/96. 1996.
- Anderson, Jonathan; Blackie, Malcolm J.; Burcroff, Richard; Ceesay, Mustapha M.; Esikuri, Enos E.; Fernandes, Erick C.M.; Gillison, Andrew Napier; Sanginga, Emmanuel Nteranya; Smaling, Eric; Styger, Erika Dorothea (2006) Sustainable land management : challenges, opportunities, and trade-offs. Agriculture and rural development Washington, D.C. : World Bank Group.
- Special Report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems (SRCCL). IPCC (Report). Retrieved 2019-08-09.
- REACH (2023) Improving water security through Sustainable Land Management Story of change: Key findings & emerging impacts
Land management is the process of managing the use and development of land resources Sustainable land management SLM is the set of practices and technologies that aim to integrate the management of land water and other environmental resources to meet human needs while ensuring long term sustainability ecosystem services biodiversity and livelihoods 2924 Sustainable forest management is a sub category of sustainable land management 23 One aim of sustainable land management is to prevent or reverse land degradation Another aim is to ensure water security by increasing soil moisture availability decreasing surface runoff and decreasing soil erosion Land resources are used for a variety of purposes which may include for example agriculture forestry water resource management human settlements and tourism Unsustainable land managements leads to land being over or misused which in turn degrades the land reduces productivity and disrupts natural equilibriums DefinitionThe IPCC Sixth Assessment Report describes land management as The sum of land use practices e g sowing fertilising weeding harvesting thinning and clear cutting that take place within broader land use categories 2914 Land use itself is The total of arrangements activities and inputs applied to a parcel of land Land use categories include forest land cropland agricultural land grassland wetlands settlements and other lands 2914 The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe UNECE applies the term land management in a wide context Besides agriculture and forestry they include the mineral extraction sector property and estate management Land management is the process by which the resources of land are put to good effect It covers all activities concerned with the management of land as a resource both from an environmental and from an economic perspective It can include farming mineral extraction property and estate management and the physical planning of towns and the countryside 13 Sustainable land management Sustainable land management SLM is a process in a charged environment between environmental protection and the guarantee claim of ecosystem services on the one hand On the other hand it is about productivity of agriculture and forestry with respect to demographic growth and increasing pressure in land use SLM has been defined in various reports as follows By IPCC in 2022 The stewardship and use of land resources including soils water animals and plants to meet changing human needs while simultaneously ensuring the long term productive potential of these resources and the maintenance of their environmental functions 2924 This wording is very similar to the longer wording used by the United Nations UN 1992 Rio Earth Summit in 1992 The use of land resources including soils water animals and plants for the production of goods to meet changing human needs while simultaneously ensuring the long term productive potential of these resources and the maintenance of their environmental functions By World Bank in 2006 SLM is defined as a knowledge based procedure that helps integrate land water biodiversity and environmental management including input and output externalities to meet rising food and fiber demands while sustaining ecosystem services and livelihoods xiv PurposesOne aim of sustainable land management is to prevent or reverse land degradation Another aim is to ensure water security by increasing soil moisture availability decreasing surface runoff and decreasing soil erosion The IPCC stated that sustainable land management can play a role in climate change mitigation and adaptation 23 This takes place at various scales at scales namely from individual farms to entire watersheds 23 A World Bank report in 2006 explained SLM is necessary to meet the requirements of a growing population Improper land management can lead to land degradation and a significant reduction in the productive and service biodiversity niches hydrology carbon sequestration functions of watersheds and landscapes xiv In climate change contextThe IPCC s Special Report on Climate Change and Land SRCCL explains the linkages between sustainable land management and climate change mitigation The full title of the report is the Special Report on climate change desertification land degradation sustainable land management food security and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems The report s summary for policy makers explains that Many sustainable land management technologies and practices are profitable within three to 10 years medium confidence While they can require upfront investment actions to ensure sustainable land management can improve crop yields and the economic value of pasture Land restoration and rehabilitation measures improve livelihood systems and provide both short term positive economic returns and longer term benefits in terms of climate change adaptation and mitigation biodiversity and enhanced ecosystem functions and services 35 MethodsLand management options exist to focus on healthy soils and to reduce vulnerability to soil erosion and nutrient loss Examples include growing green manure crops and cover crops crop residue retention reduced zero tillage and maintenance of ground cover through improved grazing management 23 There are also land management options for farmers that build soil carbon and therefore provide important climate change mitigation benefits through carbon sequestration agroforestry perennial pasture phases and use of perennial grains All these methods reduce soil erosion and nutrient leaching 23 Land management options that do not require land use change and do not create demand for more land conversion include 20 improved management of cropland and grazing lands sustainable forest management and increased soil organic carbon content For example in Ethiopia over 85 of the land is estimated to be moderately to severely degraded The current practices of sustainable land management SLM involve a variety of structural and nonstructural elements integrated at the catchment scale providing different roles in managing water resources The structural measures soil bunds contour trenches etc significantly improve infiltration and water storage potential of the agricultural landscapes On the other hand the nonstructural measures such as the elimination of open grazing on communal grazing land and the abandonment of postharvest grazing on cultivated land help improve the water retention capacity of the soils and reduce nonproductive evaporative water losses In addition the current practices of SLM attempts to sustain diverse land use mosaics at the catchment scale including protected areas gullied lands and communal grazing lands cultivated land and home gardens with the aim of harnessing potential uses services and values from a catchment See alsoEnvironment portalAgenda 21 United Nations action plan 1992 Carbon farming Conservation grazing Use of animals to graze areas like nature reserves to maintain habitats Economics of Land Degradation Initiative Global initiative for sustainable land management Special Report on Climate Change and Land IPCC reportReferencesIPCC 2022 Annex II Glossary Moller V R van Diemen J B R Matthews C Mendez S Semenov J S Fuglestvedt A Reisinger eds In Climate Change 2022 Impacts Adaptation and Vulnerability Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change H O Portner D C Roberts M Tignor E S Poloczanska K Mintenbeck A Alegria M Craig S Langsdorf S Loschke V Moller A Okem B Rama eds Cambridge University Press Cambridge UK and New York NY US pp 2897 2930 doi 10 1017 9781009325844 029 IPCC 2019 Summary for Policymakers In Climate Change and Land an IPCC special report on climate change desertification land degradation sustainable land management food security and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems P R Shukla J Skea E Calvo Buendia V Masson Delmotte H O Portner D C Roberts P Zhai R Slade S Connors R van Diemen M Ferrat E Haughey S Luz S Neogi M Pathak J Petzold J Portugal Pereira P Vyas E Huntley K Kissick M Belkacemi J Malley eds https doi org 10 1017 9781009157988 001 Dagnachew Melku Gebrehiwot Solomon Gebreyohanis Bewket Woldeamlak Alamirew Tena Charles Katrina Zeleke Gete 2024 Ensuring sustainable water security through sustainable land management Research evidences for policy World Water Policy doi 10 1002 wwp2 12209 ISSN 2639 541X Text was copied from this source which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4 0 International License Foley J A Defries R Asner G P Barford C Bonan G Carpenter S R Chapin F S Coe M T Daily G C Gibbs H K Helkowski J H Holloway T Howard E A Kucharik C J Monfreda C Patz J A Prentice I C Ramankutty N Snyder P K 2005 Global Consequences of Land Use Science 309 5734 570 574 Bibcode 2005Sci 309 570F doi 10 1126 science 1111772 PMID 16040698 S2CID 5711915 Land Administration Guideline With Special Reference to Countries in Transition PDF UN Economic Commission for Europe Geneva ECE HBP 96 1996 Anderson Jonathan Blackie Malcolm J Burcroff Richard Ceesay Mustapha M Esikuri Enos E Fernandes Erick C M Gillison Andrew Napier Sanginga Emmanuel Nteranya Smaling Eric Styger Erika Dorothea 2006 Sustainable land management challenges opportunities and trade offs Agriculture and rural development Washington D C World Bank Group Special Report on climate change desertification land degradation sustainable land management food security and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems SRCCL IPCC Report Retrieved 2019 08 09 REACH 2023 Improving water security through Sustainable Land Management Story of change Key findings amp emerging impacts
