The restoration of degraded lands has received increased attention in recent years and many commitments have been made as part of global and regional restoration initiatives. Well-informed policy decisions that support land restoration, require spatially explicit information on restoration potentials to guide the design and implementation of restoration interventions in the context of limited resources. This study assessed ecosystems indicators of land degradation using a systematic approach that combines field surveys and remote sensing data into a set of multi-criteria analyses to map restoration potentials in the semi-arid areas. The indicators considered were soil organic carbon, erosion prevalence, enhanced vegetation index, Normalized differences water index and the Net Primary productivity. Three classes of restoration potential were established: (1) areas not in need of immediate restoration due low degradation status, (2) areas with high potential for restoration with moderate efforts required and (3) areas in critical need of restoration and require high level of efforts. Of the total area of the study site estimated at 88,344 km², 59,146.12 km², or 66.94% of the theoretically recoverable area, was considered suitable for restoration, of which 38% required moderate efforts while 28% require less efforts. The recoverable areas suitable for restoration could be restored through tree planting, soil and water conservation practices, farmers managed natural regeneration, and integrated soil fertility management. These results can help to spatially identify suitable multifunctional restoration and regeneration hotspots as an efficient way to prioritize restoration interventions in the context of limited resources.

近年来，退化土地的恢复受到越来越多的关注，并且作为全球和区域恢复举措的一部分做出了许多承诺。支持土地恢复的消息灵通的政策决定需要有关恢复潜力的空间明确信息，以指导在资源有限的情况下设计和实施恢复干预措施。本研究使用系统方法评估土地退化的生态系统指标，该方法将实地调查和遥感数据结合到一组多标准分析中，以绘制半干旱地区的恢复潜力图。考虑的指标是土壤有机碳、侵蚀发生率、增强植被指数、标准化差异水指数和净初级生产力。建立了三类恢复潜力：（1）由于退化状态低，不需要立即恢复的地区，（2）需要适度努力恢复的高潜力地区和（3）急需恢复和需要高水平的地区的努力。研究地点的总面积估计为 88,344 平方公里² , 59,146.12 km ²，即理论可采面积的66.94%，被认为适合恢复，其中38%需要中等努力，28%需要较少努力。适合恢复的可恢复区域可以通过植树、水土保持实践、农民管理自然更新和综合土壤肥力管理来恢复。这些结果有助于在空间上确定合适的多功能修复和再生热点，作为在资源有限的情况下优先考虑修复干预的有效方式。