Land degradation is contextual

Abstract Land degradation cannot be judged independently of its spatial, temporal, economic, environmental and cultural context. Evaluations are therefore almost infinitely variable and very dynamic. These observations are examined in two contexts, first in two case studies. One, from the southern Levant, makes use of a long and well‐documented history of environmental assessment that varied greatly between communities. The other, from contemporary Niger, shows finer scale differences among villagers. Second, the dynamic and multiple assessment of futures (sustainability) is illustrated with data from the same case study in Niger. In this wider context, multiplicity and dynamicity are largely a consequence of the choice of model of the environmental or social future. The usually positive difference between large‐scale and finer scale assessments of degradation is dubbed the [social delivery ratio]. Simplified systems of evaluation may be necessary for allocation, but they need to be treated with great caution if the argument here is accepted. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.