Dear Alemsha,

I am no expert in the field of desertification. However, what I would say is that I see no reason why you could not use MEDALUS as a model to draw from and adapt in order to develop a desertification and land use model for Ethiopia. Remember. There are two major factors that need to be tackled in any adaptation of the Med. model.

1. Climatic difference :

the Mediterranean climate is basically hot dry summers/mild wet winters. The Ethiopian climate is much more akin to the Monsoon climate affecting Indian Ocean areas, cool dry/hot dry/hot wet. I would suggest that you have probably a more cyclically affected climate in East Africa than occurs in Med. Lands, i.e. drought cycles roughly on a 10 year cycle.

2. Biological environment :

different vegetation cover, different trees, different grasses, different crops, different farming methods and so on.

if you keep these factors in mind there is no reason you should not be able to modify the MEDALUS model to provide a working model for Ethiopia. I wish you well in you research as desertification is a major issue.

kind regards

GEORGE STRACHAN

Thank you for your valuable answers.

Dear Alemsha,

The MEDALUS formula can be applied anywhere in the world because it is based on indicators of climate, soil, vegetation, and management quality.

This research may be useful to you:

Article Updating the MEDALUS‐ESA Framework for Worldwide Land Degrad...