An agroecological exploration of the Arabian Peninsula

cg.contactedepauw@pavocarto.been_US
cg.contributor.centerInternational Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas - ICARDAen_US
cg.contributor.centerArab Fund for Economic and Social Development - AFESDen_US
cg.contributor.centerOPEC Fund for International Development - OFIDen_US
cg.contributor.centerInternational Fund for Agricultural Development - IFADen_US
cg.contributor.funderInternational Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas - ICARDAen_US
cg.contributor.projectCommunication and Documentation Information Services (CODIS)en_US
cg.contributor.project-lead-instituteInternational Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas - ICARDAen_US
cg.coverage.countryBHen_US
cg.coverage.countryKWen_US
cg.coverage.countryOMen_US
cg.coverage.countryQAen_US
cg.coverage.countrySAen_US
cg.coverage.countryAEen_US
cg.coverage.countryYEen_US
cg.coverage.end-date2002-12-31en_US
cg.coverage.regionWestern Asiaen_US
cg.coverage.start-date2002-01-01en_US
cg.isbn92-9127-119-5en_US
cg.subject.agrovocdesertificationen_US
cg.subject.agrovocgisen_US
cg.subject.agrovocarid zonesen_US
cg.subject.agrovocagroecologyen_US
dc.creatorDe Pauw, Eddyen_US
dc.date.accessioned2022-08-12T20:54:17Z
dc.date.available2022-08-12T20:54:17Z
dc.description.abstractThe Arabian Peninsula constitutes one of the largest contiguous arid zones in the world. Within this context of aridity the region is surprisingly diverse in climatic conditions, soil types, landscapes, and land-use patterns. Agroecological r~iches occur with edaphic conditions that can deviate substantially from those of surrounding areas and often have higher biomass or agricultural productivity. In the context of global climate change, Chi's agroecological diversity is also an important source of abiotjcstrcss resistance in plants against drought, high temperatures, and salinity. However, the region is also ecologically fi-agile. Firstly, it is vulnerable to natural processes, such as primary salinization, and wind and water erosion. In addition, overgrazing, fuel-wood extraction, drought, and depletion of fossil water resources are increasingly threatening the sustainability of the natural resource base and may lead to potentially irreversible desertification. A rational approach to combating desertification req~~ires in the first place differentiating true degradation, as a result of over-exploitation, from processes and conditions that are the natural outcome of the biophysical limits imposed by harsh climates that prevail in the Arabian Peninsula. Such an approach necessitates the development of agroecological frameworks, which allow assessing ~hc spatial and temporal variations in the natural resource base and associated land-use systems. To combat desertification effectively, a good agroecological character~zation is of vital importance. Numerous thematic surveys in the form of soil survey reports, climatic maps, and groundwater surveys already exist in the Arabian Peninsula. However, the challenge is 'to develop integrated land and water resource information systems, based on CIS-tecl~nology. This integration will allow linkage of multidisciplinary, geographically referenced databases at different resolutions, and to develop decision support systems for more sustainable land use management and resource i~sc regulations. By bringing together information sources from the international public domain and the Arabian Peninsula itself, and processing them with state-of-the-art GIs technology, this report aims to initiate this process of data integration at the regional level. As such it will be of value for agricultural research planning, biodiversity management, land use planning, and public awareness at the national and regional levels. We hope it will fill a major gap in our understanding of the agro-ecological diversity, vulnerability, and agricultural productivity of one of the most important arid regions in the world.en_US
dc.formatPDFen_US
dc.identifierhttps://mel.cgiar.org/reporting/downloadmelspace/hash/a8efe71012913a68529a1ef26a53a0fe/v/af7a29aff0b152039b5c96285e6326b7en_US
dc.identifier.citationEddy De Pauw. (31/12/2002). An agroecological exploration of the Arabian Peninsula. Beirut, Lebanon: International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA).en_US
dc.identifier.statusOpen accessen_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11766/67599
dc.languageenen_US
dc.publisherInternational Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)en_US
dc.rightsCC-BY-SA-4.0en_US
dc.subjectarabian peninsulaen_US
dc.titleAn agroecological exploration of the Arabian Peninsulaen_US
dc.typeBooken_US
dcterms.available2002-12-31en_US
dcterms.issued2002-12-31en_US

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