Lucid Project - Introduction and Objectives

Introduction

The "Land Use Change Analysis as an Approach for Investigating Biodiversity Loss and Land Degradation" project, funded by UNEP-GEF and other donors, is an umbrella for various research activities occurring in sites across East Africa, and at the East Africa regional level. The general goal is to contribute to the conservation of biodiversity and prevention of land degradation by providing useful instruments to identify and monitor changes in the landscape associated with biodiversity loss and land degradation, and identify the root causes of those changes.

Objectives

1. To analyze new and existing data concerning the linkages between the processes of change in biodiversity, land degradation and land use to design a guide on how to use land use change analysis to identify spatial and temporal trends, and linkages, of change in biodiversity and land degradation

2. To integrate ecological, socio-economic and land use data and theory to develop a replicable analytical framework to identify the root causes of land use change leading to changes in biodiversity and land degradation, and

3. To provide integrated data and information on the patterns and trends in land use, biodiversity and land degradation in East Africa that will provide a basis for more effective local, national and regional programs.