About the SDS toolbox
At UNCCD COP 14 (2019), the secretariat was requested to build the capacity of Parties to address sand and dust storms by developing a toolbox, including decision-making support tools, in collaboration with relevant United Nations entities, institutions and partners.
With the financial support of the European Union, Republic of Korea’s Changwon Initiative, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and Peoples’ Republic of China Forestry and Grassland Administration, and in collaboration with partners listed below, the SDS Toolbox has been designed for a wide range of users, providing direct access to the most relevant and up-to-date information, tools, and technologies for more effective SDS management. Each module presents the current scientific understanding and evidence to inform planning and management decisions, as well as good practices, cases studies, and links to additional resources.
1. Source Detection (Identification and Mapping): Accurate and up-to-date maps are essential for planning, designing, and implementing effective SDS source management interventions. This module outlines the most common approaches and methods being used to identify and map SDS source areas, which can be combined or sequenced as part of a suggested workflow.
2. Inventory of Source Management Practices: Once SDS sources have been identified and mapped, the next step is to determine the most appropriate management intervention. This module offers a searchable inventory of tools, technologies, and good practices that can be used to prevent the creation of new sources and to reduce and manage existing sources.
3. Monitoring, Forecasting, and Early Warning: Monitoring is key to forecasting the timing and severity of SDS emissions and providing early warning to those communities and sectors at risk. Extracted from the SDS Compendium, this module highlights the key tools and approaches to monitoring, forecasting, and early warning for SDS events.
4. Risk and Vulnerability Assessments: Identifying high-risk areas, vulnerable populations and their levels of exposure can inform targeted mitigation and adaptation strategies, as well as the operation of early warning systems. This module highlights existing frameworks and tools for assessing risks and vulnerabilities, which can facilitate the integration of SDS management into disaster risk reduction planning.
5. Impact Mitigation: Even far from their source, SDS emissions can impose substantial costs to multiple social and economic sectors, including food and water, environmental and human health, transportation, energy, and industry. This module highlights some of the mitigation measures that decision-makers can consider to reduce SDS impacts on these sectors, as well as the importance of regional cooperation to address their transboundary nature.
