Household adaptation amongst hot spots of land degradation vulnerability and bright spots of resilience

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (CFDA 47.075) Project Grant award in the amount of $399,975 to the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) funds research to identify "bright spots" of improving ecological conditions and human resilience, as well as "hot spots" of land degradation and human vulnerability. The project integrates household surveys, community-level interviews, and drone-derived imagery to understand factors associated with resilience. A subaward of undisclosed amount is planned for Mississippi State University to contribute graduate research assistance, field data collection, data processing, and co-authorship of project publications. The research aims to inform UN member nations' monitoring and evaluation towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals and UNCCD Strategic Objectives related to land degradation.

Abstract

What drives land degradation? How do people cope with its impacts and consequences across regional, sub-national, and local scales? What responses are resilient for both humans and nature? To address these questions, this project develops a novel methodology, using globally available data, to identify emerging ?bright spots? Of improving ecological conditions and human resilience and emerging ?hot spots? Of land degradation and human vulnerability to reveal factors associated with human and ecological resilience. By contrasting drivers and responses in areas of bright spots and hot spots with similar ecological and socio-economic conditions, the research identifies and translates what worked in bright spots into action plans for hotspot areas. The research has important implications for challenging theories on deforestation and land transitions as well as human adaptive responses. This project integrates household surveys and community-level interviews with drone-derived imagery nested within ?bright spots? And ?hot spots?. Results may identify potential behaviors and practices that can be replicated to improve household and ecological resilience in tropical forest frontiers globally. The project improves understanding of interactions among social and biophysical system components that can help inform united nations (UN) member nations of monitoring and evaluation towards achieving UN sustainable development goals (SDGS) and the unccd strategic objectives for desertification, land degradation, and drought. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are planned for this award.