Implementing the Land Degradation Surveillance Framework (LDSF) to fill knowledge gaps

In early May of 2023, the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) conducted an in-field training on its Land Degradation Surveillance Framework (LDSF) methodology for Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and Forest and Landscape Restoration (FLR) monitoring in Makueni County, Kenya.

The four-days training formed part of a broader project to promote NbS for land restoration in Kenya while strengthening the national technical working group, which is funded by the UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (PACT) Green Recovery Challenge Fund.

Why NbS and the LDSF?

NbS are actions to protect, sustainably manage, or restore natural ecosystems that address societal challenges – in this context, soil and land degradation. The LDSF framework is used as a monitoring tool, which provides a biophysical baseline at landscape level, as well as a monitoring and evaluation framework for assessing processes of land degradation and the effectiveness of rehabilitation measures over time.

Developed by ICRAF, the framework is a systematic, unbiased sampling method that measures multiple indicators at the same geo-referenced location, enabling robust statistical analysis for modelling and mapping of land and soil health. These ground observations are then combined with Earth Observation data to produce accurate maps of land cover change, land use, land degradation, and soil health. Over the last two decades, the framework has been applied in projects across the global tropics and is currently one of the largest land health databases globally, with more than 30,000 observations.

What happened?

The event attracted diverse participants, including facilitators and Trainers of Trainers (ToT) from various community-based organizations, as well as officials from Makueni County Government and the Kenya Forest Service. The 36 participants were trained by CIFOR-ICRAF staff from its Soil and Land Health Theme on LDSF methodology for soil and landscape-scale biodiversity sampling.

On the first day of the training, participants were taken through the theoretical elements of LDSF. They then spend the remaining days in the field covering the practical aspects. The experience was made richer by the fact that CIFOR-ICRAF’s field team was sampling soil in the field site – the Makuli-Nzau Landscape – at that time, so the trainees benefited from a real-life experience as opposed to a demonstration.

The practical training included: navigation to randomized LDSF plots; electronic data entry; and all the aspects of a field survey such as soil sampling, tree and shrub measurements, land-use history, land management practices, infiltration capacity, and soil erosion observations.

“Since the LDSF is an unbiased and stratified sampling method, the randomized plots can fall quite far from any road or walking path, which made the training even more exciting, as participants had to hike into the hills to locate the plot!” said Leigh Ann Winowiecki, Global Research Leader of Soil and Land Health at CIFOR-ICRAF. “Participants were trained in all aspects of the LDSF and were empowered to employ the methodology in their projects and initiatives.”

Why focus on community facilitators and ToTs?

Community facilitators and ToTs are an integral part of this project. Not only are they conversant with community dynamics and problems, but they also represent a critical link between the project implementers and the rest of the community. As such, it's important for them to get in-depth understanding of both challenges and proposed solutions for effective implementation.

“Community facilitators and ToTs are stewards in the community,” said Robin Chacha, Research Associate at CIFOR-ICRAF and one of the workshop trainers. “Therefore, enhancing their capacity and skills will scale up the knowledge and use of the LDSF tool in ecosystem management and restoration interventions assessment and monitoring.”

Following the training, the team hopes that the participants will share this knowledge with the rest of the community, resulting in an increased sense of ownership of the project and more successful FLR. Moreover, community facilitators and ToTs’ presence in intervention areas outlives the project cycle, ensuring a prolonged intervention period and making long-term impact more likely.

Community facilitator Silas Muthuri was awed by the sampling methodology. “It was amazing to understand how the LDSF can be used to monitor and generate comprehensive and rich nature based solutions based on the land health indicators,” he said. “The generated data is easy to visualize, interpret, and comprehend by stakeholders at all levels for informed decision making on a combination of remedies to land degradation.”

What now?

Now, the soil samples collected in the LDSF site have arrived at the CIFOR-ICRAF’s soil and land health laboratory for spectral analysis. The LDSF data will also be analyzed at the SPACIAL laboratory. The results from both laboratories will be used to create observation maps and give comprehensive recommendations on appropriate interventions.

These recommendations will be used to inform policy makers, such as county government officials and other stakeholders – on the degradation state, vegetation biodiversity, and above and belowground carbon accounting, and for tracking landscape restoration over time. In addition, these data and outputs will inform effective and efficient NbS and forest landscape restoration initiatives for the county.

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Land Degradation Surveillance Framework Manual

Co-designing inclusive and locally appropriate land restoration options