Using Satellite Imagery to Assess Impacts of Soil and Water Conservation Measures : Evidence from Ethiopia's Tana-Beles Watershed
Although efforts at soil and water conservation are routinely viewed as instrumental in reducing vulnerability to climate change, their impact has rarely been quantified. Combining data on the timing and intensity of soil and water conservation int...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2018
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/210541517252830368/Using-satellite-imagery-to-assess-impacts-of-soil-and-water-conservation-measures-evidence-from-Ethiopias-Tana-Beles-Watershed http://hdl.handle.net/10986/29287 |
| Summary: | Although efforts at soil and water
conservation are routinely viewed as instrumental in
reducing vulnerability to climate change, their impact has
rarely been quantified. Combining data on the timing and
intensity of soil and water conservation interventions in
select Ethiopian watersheds from 2009 to 2016 with a
pixel-level panel of vegetative cover and soil moisture data
derived from satellite imagery makes it possible to assess
the biophysical impacts of such measures using a
difference-in-differences specification. The results point
toward significant effects overall that vary by season, and
that tree planting and other soil and water conservation
activities are more effective on degraded than cultivated
land. The results are consistent with before-after
regressions for daily sediment load and stream flows in a
subset of micro-watersheds. It thus appears that satellite
imagery can improve the design and near-real-time monitoring
of sustainable land management interventions for watersheds
and landscape. |
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