Proceedings of the regional land degradation assessment in drylands (LADA) workshop for Southeast Asia

PROCEEDINGS
OF
THE REGIONAL LAND DEGRADATION
ASSESSMENT IN DRYLANDS (LADA)
WORKSHOP FOR SOUTHEAST ASIA

Bangkok, Thailand
27 – 30 April 2009

Edited and compiled by

Rungsun Im-Erb, Yuji Niino,Samran Sombatpanit, Riccardo Biancalani

RAP PUBLICATION 2009/16

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

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The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned.

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For copies, please contact:
Yuji Niino
FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Maliwan Mansion, 39 Phra Atit Road
Bangkok 10200
THAILAND
Tel: (+66) 2 697 4000
Fax: (+66) 2 697 4445
E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

Over the past 30 years, the natural environment of the Asia-Pacific region has been subjected to increasing degradation of both land and water resources thereby threatening livelihoods, food security, people's health and long-term sustainable development. Pressures on these resources are more severe compared to other regions in the world. Some 850 million hectares, representing more that 28 percent of the region's land area, are affected by some form of land degradation. Contributing factors are deforestation, inappropriate agricultural practices, inefficient irrigation water use, excessive groundwater extraction and industrial development. Available data on the extent of land degradation in the region are limited and weak. The land degradation assessment in drylands (LADA) project, which began in 2006, was set up to develop tools and methods for land degradation assessment and build capacity at national, regional and international levels to analyse, design, plan and implement interventions to support sustainable land use and land management practices. This proceedings contains the technical and country reports presented at the workshop convened in Bangkok, Thailand from 27 to 30 April 2009.