Database. Land Potential
Publication year
Resource type
UNCCD Library
Material Type
Web resource
What is LandPKS?
A free modular mobile phone app connected to cloud-based storage, global databases, and models
A system for storing and accessing user data
A system for sharing data, information and knowledge
What are the modules?
LandInfo– for rapid soil (texture, color) characterization, soil identification, and accessing soil and ecological site information.
Identifies soil based on location + user inputs
Predicts soil infiltration & plant available water-holding capacity (AWC) at variable soil organic matter (SOM)
Determines Land Capability Class (LCC) for sustainable land use planning and management
Determines Soil Color using the phone’s camera and a standardized reference card
LandCover– for rapid vegetation monitoring (vegetation composition, plant height, and canopy/basal gaps).
NRCS/BLM-compatible methods
Used for rangeland monitoring, natural resource conservation, and crop residue monitoring
Determines vegetation composition, plant height, and canopy/basal gaps
LandManagement – on-farm record keeping (inputs, management, yields)
Provides data summaries
Allows for record keeping about crops, fertilizer, lime, irrigation, rainfall, erosion control, tillage, etc
Other Modules coming soon: SoilHealth and Biomass/Utilization.
What is Land Potential?
Land potential is defined as the inherent potential of the land to sustainably generate ecosystem services. Management determines whether the inherent potential is sustainably realized. Land potential includes three elements: (1) inherent potential for generation of ecosystem services, (2) potential degradation resistance, and (3) potential resilience, which is the capacity to recover following degradation.(Source: UNEP IRP Report)
Land potential can also be defined in terms of the capacity of land to support more specific land use objectives, including its potential to provide the resources necessary for one or more species to complete their life cycles and reproduce. The value of applying the land potential concept to biodiversity conservation is that it allows the potential future range of species to be predicted based on habitat requirements, rather than relying solely on historic or existing plant and animal community patterns. This is particularly important where climate change and invasive species modify the conditions necessary for species of interest to survive and reproduce.
Through an understanding of climate, soils, and topography, land potential can be seen as the potential of the land to be degradation resistant (the ability of the land to resist disturbances) and resilient (the ability of the land to rebound after disturbances). Application of the land potential concept can support sustainable agricultural production, biodiversity conservation, and other ecosystem services.
The Jornada Experimental Range
The Jornada has served as a field research laboratory since its establishment in 1912. The varied scientific activities on the range throughout this century have led to important discoveries about desert ecosystems that have been the basis for principles of land management that have application around the globe. This region is probably the most extensively studied desert on earth, and research activities both on-site and around the globe, continue to flourish in the 21st century. From microscopic-scale studies of soil microorganisms to synoptic-scale assessments of vegetation patterns detected from satellite-based sensors, the Jornada research group is addressing a multitude of research needs relevant to natural resource management issues.
Explore the links to find out more
A free modular mobile phone app connected to cloud-based storage, global databases, and models
A system for storing and accessing user data
A system for sharing data, information and knowledge
What are the modules?
LandInfo– for rapid soil (texture, color) characterization, soil identification, and accessing soil and ecological site information.
Identifies soil based on location + user inputs
Predicts soil infiltration & plant available water-holding capacity (AWC) at variable soil organic matter (SOM)
Determines Land Capability Class (LCC) for sustainable land use planning and management
Determines Soil Color using the phone’s camera and a standardized reference card
LandCover– for rapid vegetation monitoring (vegetation composition, plant height, and canopy/basal gaps).
NRCS/BLM-compatible methods
Used for rangeland monitoring, natural resource conservation, and crop residue monitoring
Determines vegetation composition, plant height, and canopy/basal gaps
LandManagement – on-farm record keeping (inputs, management, yields)
Provides data summaries
Allows for record keeping about crops, fertilizer, lime, irrigation, rainfall, erosion control, tillage, etc
Other Modules coming soon: SoilHealth and Biomass/Utilization.
What is Land Potential?
Land potential is defined as the inherent potential of the land to sustainably generate ecosystem services. Management determines whether the inherent potential is sustainably realized. Land potential includes three elements: (1) inherent potential for generation of ecosystem services, (2) potential degradation resistance, and (3) potential resilience, which is the capacity to recover following degradation.(Source: UNEP IRP Report)
Land potential can also be defined in terms of the capacity of land to support more specific land use objectives, including its potential to provide the resources necessary for one or more species to complete their life cycles and reproduce. The value of applying the land potential concept to biodiversity conservation is that it allows the potential future range of species to be predicted based on habitat requirements, rather than relying solely on historic or existing plant and animal community patterns. This is particularly important where climate change and invasive species modify the conditions necessary for species of interest to survive and reproduce.
Through an understanding of climate, soils, and topography, land potential can be seen as the potential of the land to be degradation resistant (the ability of the land to resist disturbances) and resilient (the ability of the land to rebound after disturbances). Application of the land potential concept can support sustainable agricultural production, biodiversity conservation, and other ecosystem services.
The Jornada Experimental Range
The Jornada has served as a field research laboratory since its establishment in 1912. The varied scientific activities on the range throughout this century have led to important discoveries about desert ecosystems that have been the basis for principles of land management that have application around the globe. This region is probably the most extensively studied desert on earth, and research activities both on-site and around the globe, continue to flourish in the 21st century. From microscopic-scale studies of soil microorganisms to synoptic-scale assessments of vegetation patterns detected from satellite-based sensors, the Jornada research group is addressing a multitude of research needs relevant to natural resource management issues.
Explore the links to find out more
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