Pilot Global Environmental Outlook (GEO1) project

This work was undertaken in the framework of UNEP's Pilot Global Environmental Outlook project, under a subcontract with the Netherlands National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM).
 
ISRIC’s work centered on assessing the importance of scale and structure of environmental databases and model formulation on the possible level of detail of conclusions drawn with respect to the assess­ment/quantification of the impact of water erosion on food production. Two main activities were undertaken:

• Developmenmt of a simple qualitative methodology  for assessing the risk of water erosion at the global level, using the WISE database. This empirical methodology was later adapted for use with a 1:5 million scale Soil and Terrain Database (SOTER), covering parts of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. 
   
• Devlopment of a mixed qualitative/quantitative approach  for assessing the impact of water erosion on productivity of a land use system, using 1:1M scale SOTER databases for Uruguay and part of Argentina) and Kenya 

 

References:

- Batjes NH 1996. Global assessment of land vulnerability to water erosion on a ½ by ½ degree grid. Land Degradation & Development, 7:353-365.
 
- Batjes NH 1996. A qualitative assessment of water erosion risk using 1:5 M SOTER data: An application for Northern Argentina, South-East Brazil and Uruguay. Work. Pap. 96/04, ISRIC, Wageningen.
 
- Mantel S and Van Engelen VWP 1997. The impact of land degradation of food productivity: case studies of Uruguay, Argentina, and Kenya. Report 97/01, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), National Institute of Public Health and Environment (RIVM) and ISRIC, Wageningen. 
 
- Mantel S and Van Engelen VWP 1999. Assessment of the impact of water erosion on productivity of maize in Kenya: an integrated modelling approach. Land Degradation and Development, 10: 577-592.
 
- Mantel S, Van Engelen VWP and Batjes NH 1996. Impact of water erosion on food productivity: a test case from Uruguay. Environment Information and Assessment Meeting Report 2, UNEP/WAU/RIVM, Bilthoven. pp. v39-v42.
 
- Mantel S, Van Engelen VWP, Molfino JH and Resink JW 2000. Exploring biophysical potential and suitability of wheat cultivation in Uruguay at the national level. Soil Use and Management, 16: 270-278.