Exploring future land use scenarios in Portugal

A spatial modelling tool has been developed in DesertWatch to simulate scenarios of desertification (named ScenDes). The tool generates possible scenarios for desertification monitoring, starting with a land use map at a certain time and simulating the land use evolution during the years. The simulation is typically carried out on periods of 10-20 years and allows to visualise possible land use degradation scenarios. These land uses can then be translated into desertification indicators.