The Scientific Basis for the Statement of Achievement Objectives for the Land Degradation Neutrality in Turkmenistan

摘要

Determination of national goals for achieving a land degradation neutrality (LDN) and the creation of systems of indicators for monitoring is an important strategic task for combating desertification and preventing land degradation in Turkmenistan, due to the implementation of target 15.3 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals for the period up to 2030. This paper analyzes the possibility of integrating global indicators of the LDN into the National System for Land Monitoring of Turkmenistan, which is currently being developed, and provides statistical and geoinformation data for the entire territory of the country. It has been found that, despite the new important data obtained using global approaches, reliable monitoring of the LDN based on national data is not fully feasible at present due to the fact that global indicators are not sufficiently confirmed by the available national data and do not correspond to global proxy indicators of dynamics of land cover, productivity, and stocks of soil organic carbon. This article proposes a working list of national analogue indicators and ways to validate them, as well as options for using lists of land use types to compile a matrix of negative and positive transitions with changes in land cover. It is recommended to use cartographic and fund data collected and processed in the late 1980s-90s as a "baseline" for monitoring land degradation, as well as materials on the assessment of the state of specially protected natural areas. Additional and alternative indicators of the LDN, which are of particular importance for Turkmenistan: salinization of soils and lands, soil deflation, climate aridity, and dust storms, are proposed.