Identification of Desertification Prone Areas - Advantages and Limitations

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  • Method has been tested and validated in the Mediterranean area
  • Relatively easy to apply and it is replicable
  • Combines subjective and objective criteria
  • Can add more indices to the system that are of relevance for a specific country
  • Can be easily updated if newer data is provided
  • Cost of updating is low
  • Provides a good overview of priority areas or "hot-spots"
  • Integrates different information layers into a single index
  • Type of data needed is usually available at the national level
  • Provides insight into mitigations actions required
  • Reduces areas where detailed assessments need to be undertaken
  • Can use discreet (i.e. land use map, soil map etc.) and continuous data (i.e rainfall map, topography, etc.)
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  • Listing of possible solutions at an early planning stage easily hampers objective and open-minded problem analysis
  • Requires consistent spatial data, in other words data has to be on the same level of spatial detail
  • Requires know-how in Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
  • The individual indices are not weighted to the local problem conditions, the indices have an equal weighting
  • The method is a simplification of a complicated process
  • Does not include all possible causes of desertification