Indicators

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Indicators Reflections from a century of soil
conservation in Iceland
Andres Arnalds Soil Conservation Service Iceland
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Settlement in 874

• A fertile country
• A delicate balance was disrupted
• Up to 2/3 vegetated
• Lost 50
• At least 25 woodland
• Lost 95

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The destruction in a nutshell
The rofabard The erosion front
Desertification in a humid environment
Glacial pavement
Volcanic ash
Charcoal pit
Same area 16 years later
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• Act on Forestry and Protection Against Soil
  Erosion
• November 22nd 1907
• In connection therewith, protective measures
  shall be taken to prevent soil erosion and
  blowing sand wherever practicable. The Government
  Offices shall be ultimately responsible for
  forestry and soil erosion matters.
• Is the Icelandic SCS oldest soil protection
  institute in the world?

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The main goals

• Halt soil erosion and prevent further damage of
  Icelandic ecosystems
  

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A big task - The severe degradation

• Not only soil and vegetation lost, but
• Loss of ecosystems
• Biodiversity
• Organic matter
• Nutrients
• Seed sources

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2. Restore lost resources - revegetation
The main goals
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3. Ensure sustainable land use
The main goals
Most of Iceland accessible for grazing -
lowland pastures - highland ranges Grazing main
determinant of land health
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Despite of visibility of success monitoring of
first 80 decades based on observation and
personal memory.Current generation
disbelief.A great need for harmonized impact
monitoring but how.The GEF initiative
important for standardized guidelines
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Land health indicators

• Baselines to be able to measure change
• Separation of interacting factors that lead to
  confounding
• Iceland Climatic fluctuations volcanic ashfall
  
• Vegetation cover
• Extent
• Composition
• Erosion
• Extent
• Type
• Condition goals
• What vegetation is possible based on f.x. natural
  conditions
• What vegetation is desired
• Many factors
• Prevention of erosion an overriding factor

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Land health and services

• Organic matter
• Aboveground
• Dont forget the soil
• Ecosystem functioning
• Soil fertility
• Soil biota
• Watershed issues
• Water holding capacity and release
• Water quality ...

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Human / society issues

• Agricultural production
• Preventive success
• Increase in production / value ...
• Public goals
• Many and increasing in richer countries
• Iceland Woodlands, shelter from wind,
  temperature, landscape appearance / aesthetic
  value, ...

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Capacity building through advise, education and
encouragement
The foundations
Indicators essential
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Participation in stewardship
The foundations

• Dictatorial approaches failed to work in past
• Reach, involve, educate
• Changes in knowledge level, awareness ...

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Farmers heal the land
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Action plans and support programs should have
clear indicators

• At country level need many policy, programme and
  project indicators
• Environment
• Ecosystem services
• Society
• The foundations for success
• Condense and sum up for global effects