Changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) over the period 2001-2015 in rangelands

This map shows another indicator used in calculating LDN being SOC (soil organic carbon). SOC is the amount of carbon stored in soil and is the main component of soil organic matter. Changes in SOC at global level are particularly difficult to assess. In this map a combined land cover/SOC method is used to estimate changes in SOC and identify potentially degraded areas. In the interpretation of the map it should be remembered that analysis at this scale fails to take into account local level changes.

Key facts

1. Across rangelands globally, according to LDN measurements between 2001-2015 soil organic carbon in 93% of rangelands (approximately 74,000,000 km2) was stable. Soil organic carbon levels were improving in 0.55% (435,350 km2) and degrading in 0.43% (343,570 km2) of rangelands.

Changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) over the period 2001-2015 in rangelands
Legend

Statistics

No

SOC status

Area km2

1

Degradation

435,350

2

Stable

73,658,824

3

Improvement

343,570
 

Total 

74,437,744

 

Sources

Source 1: Terrestial ecoregions of the World. World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Downloaded in 2021: https://globil-panda.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/terrestrial-ecoregion…. Original source: Olson, D. M., Dinerstein, E., Wikramanayake, E. D., Burgess, N. D., Powell, G. V. N., Underwood, E. C., D'Amico, J. A., Itoua, I., Strand, H. E., Morrison, J. C., Loucks, C. J., Allnutt, T. F., Ricketts, T. H., Kura, Y., Lamoreux, J. F., Wettengel, W. W., Hedao, P., Kassem, K. R. 2001. Terrestrial ecoregions of the world: a new map of life on Earth. Bioscience 51(11):933-938.

Source 2:Gonzalez-Roglich, M., Zvoleff, A., Noon, M., Liniger, H., Fleiner, R., Harari, N., Garcia, C., 2019. Synergizing global tools to monitor progress towards land degradation neutrality: Trends.Earth and the World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies sustainable land management database. Environ. Sci. Policy 93, 34–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2018.12.019.

Downloaded in 2021 http://trends.earth/

Zambia

Supporting conservation agriculture to improve soil organic carbon in the Silowana complex, Zambia

Farmer planting crops in Zambia

The Silowana Complex, the buffer zone of the Sioma Ngwezi National Park, is situated in the southwest corner of Zambia, bordering Angola and Namibia. These three countries together with Botswana and Zimbabwe form Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA), one of the world’s biggest trans-boundary conservation areas. The Silowana Complex encompasses 4322 km2 and has a tropical savannah climate, the northern part of the park is a complex of open grassy plains. It plays an essential ecological role in wildlife movement along the Kwando and Zambezi rivers. The entire area is inhabited by local subsistence farming communities, some of whom are within the national park itself.

Rural communities practice shifting cultivation as a means to sustain their families. Due to the poor soil fertility, harvests and crop productivity are low, so farmers need to open new fields at least every 3-4 years to ensure production levels are maintained. This leads to a situation where farmers gradually encroach on the Miombo woodlands sometimes referred to as trees savannahs. Fields are often cleared by fire, which can get out of control further reducing habitats. The impacts of the changing climate lead to more frequent droughts combined with changes in rainfall patterns which exacerbates the challenges for both to the ecosystems and the livelihoods of the communities. 

Zambia has been undertaking efforts to address climate change guided by the 2017 National Policy on Climate Change (NPCC). The National Climate Change Response Strategy and policy aims to establish climate resilience and help fulfil development priorities as listed under Zambia’s 2030 National Long-Term Vision. Together with partners, organisations are working to tackle some of the issues including improved soil productivity through climate adaptive conservation agriculture, that will not only improve the living conditions and livelihoods of the communities in the region, but simultaneously help to protect these surrounding vital ecosystems.

More information can be found here: