Recent attempts to address land degradation have seen calls for greater integration of scientific expertise with local knowledge. In this paper, we investigate the potential for such combined understandings to enhance the accuracy, coverage, and relevance of land degradation assessment. We followed a participatory approach, using methods from a variety of disciplines, to elicit potential land degradation indicators from communities in Botswana and Swaziland. These indicators were then assessed according to local and scientific understandings. We noted a significant overlap between scientific and local knowledge about land degradation in most instances. Where discrepancies occurred, the integrated participatory approach we used allows appropriate explanation to be reached, supporting the case that such an iterative process can lead to both accurate and relevant monitoring of land degradation. However, the incorporation of integrated knowledge into national policy has not been widespread in either country, suggesting that much greater efforts are required to institutionalize participatory land degradation assessment methodologies. Powerful, often neo-Malthusian narratives of degradation continue to dominate policy discourse and limit the extent to which hybrid combined local and scientific knowledge can enhance land degradation assessment on a national and regional scale.
