Table 11.
Summary of effects on land degradation and desertification of practices based on land management
| Practice | Potential | Confidence | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Increased food productivity | 11.1–15.1 Mkm2 | Low confidence | Burney et al. (2010) |
| Improved cropland management | 10 Mkm2 | Low confidence | Lal (2015), Smith, House, et al. (2016), Schwilch et al. (2014) |
| Improved grazing land management | 10 Mkm2 | Low confidence | Smith, House, et al. (2016), Schwilch et al. (2014) |
| Improved livestock management | 10 Mkm2 | Low confidence | Lal (2015), Smith, House, et al. (2016), Miao et al. (2015), Squires and Karami (2005) |
| Agroforestry | 10 Mkm2 (with >10% tree cover) | Medium confidence | Garrity (2012) |
| Agricultural diversification | 1–5 Mkm2 | Low confidence | Lambin and Meyfroidt (2011), Schwilch et al. (2014) |
| Reduced grassland conversion to cropland | Up to 17.4 thousand km2/year | Low confidence | Foley et al. (2011) |
| Integrated water management | 10 thousand km2 | Low confidence | Caon and Vargas (2017), UNCCD (2013) |
| Improved and sustainable forest management | >3 Mkm2 | Low confidence | Caon and Vargas (2017), UNCCD (2013), Núñez et al. (2010) |
| Reduced deforestation and degradation | >3 Mkm2 by the end of the century | Low confidence | Keenan et al. (2015), Núñez et al. (2010) |
| Reforestation and forest restoration | >3 Mkm2 suitable for restoration | Medium confidence | UNCCD (2013), Wolff et al. (2018), Bastin et al. (2019) |
| Afforestation | up to 25.8 Mkm2 by the end of the century | Low confidence | Griscom et al. (2017), Kreidenweis et al. (2016), Popp et al. (2017) |
| Increased soil organic carbon content | Up to 11.37 Mkm2 | Medium confidence | Lal (2001), Lal (2004) |
| Reduced soil erosion | Up to 11.37 Mkm2 | Medium confidence | Lal (2001), Lal (2004) |
| Reduced soil salinization | 0.77 Mkm2/year | Medium confidence | Oldeman et al. (1991) |
| Reduced soil compaction | 10 Mkm2 | Low confidence | FAO and ITPS (2015), Hamza and Anderson (2005) |
| Biochar addition to soil | No global estimates | No evidence | |
| Fire management | Up to 3.5–4.9 Mkm2/year | Medium confidence | Arora and Melton (2018), Randerson et al. (2012), Tansey et al. (2004) |
| Reduced landslides and natural hazards | 1–5 Mkm2 | Low confidence | FAO and ITPS (2015), Gariano and Guzzetti (2016), Djeddaoui, Chadli, and Gloaguen (2017), Noble et al. (2014) |
| Reduced pollution including acidification | 1.03 Mkm2/year | Low confidence | Oldeman et al. (1991) |
| Management of invasive species/encroachment | No global estimates | No evidence | |
| Restoration and reduced conversion of coastal wetlands | 0.29 Mkm2 | Medium confidence | Griscom et al. (2017) |
| Restoration and reduced conversion of peatlands | 0.46 Mkm2 | Medium confidence | Griscom et al. (2017) |
| Biodiversity conservation | No global estimates | No evidence | |
| Enhanced weathering of minerals | Positive but not quantified | Low confidence | Beerling et al. (2018) |
| Bioenergy and BECCS | Potential impact on up to 15 Mkm2 with possible negative consequences; potential for positive impacts in some circumstances | Medium confidence | Clarke et al. (2014), Popp et al. (2017), Smith, Davis, et al. (2016), Smith, Haszeldine et al. (2016), Smith, House, et al. (2016) |
Abbreviation: BECCS, bioenergy with carbon capture and strorage.