Assessment and mapping the sensitive areas to desertification in an insular Sahelian mountain region Case study of the Ribeira Seca Watershed, Santiago Island, Cabo Verde

•Desertification represents a serious social and ecological problem in Cape Verde.•Mapping is a tool to understand the actual situation of desertification.•We use the MEDALUS Model according to stakeholders' skill and knowledge.•Results show that more than 50% of the study site present obvious evidence of becoming a desertification area.

This paper presents the assessment and mapping of the Ribeira Seca catchment, an insular Sahelian mountain region sensitive to desertification, located on the island of Santiago, Cabo Verde. Desertification is a threat to the global environment, representing a serious ecological problem in Cabo Verde. To successfully combat desertification, an evaluation of desertification consequences is required and the building of cartography of the sensitivity for arid and semi-arid ecosystems is required as a first step. The MEDALUS model was the basis for this study in which six quality indicators were used: climate, soil, vegetation, land management, erosion and social factors. Several parameters were defined for each indicator with weights varying between 1 (very low) and 2 (very high). The geometric mean of each of the six quality indicators was employed to produce a map of areas sensitive to desertification. The results of this study show that more than 50% of the watershed show clear evidence of becoming a desertified area.