3.4 Infographic tool for dissemination of connectivity concepts
To support dissemination of connectivity concepts an infographic tool (Figure 8) was developed based on a generic narrative of the consequences of land conversion/grazing on soil vegetative cover and soil surface degradation. The centre part of the infographic focusses on reduced infiltration due to soil exposure and reduced infiltration linked to rain splash, aggregate breakdown with loss of soil organic matter and surface crusting. The wider narrative of the poster was designed to set the landscape in context, showing the destructive narrative of the erosion unfolding from the top, to the bottom of the image. The tracks and pathways dissect the landscape, showing livestock and human traffic aggravating the initial stream channel incisions – and the structural connectivity, linking the upslope disturbance to downslope challenges – and inevitable result of enhanced overland flow.
We chose to create a visual style that would resonate culturally both within the Western and sub-Saharan diaspora. By developing a series of graphic devices, recognisable local iconography, a bright colour palette, and lastly an abstraction of reducing the three-dimensional scenario into a two-dimensional illustration – the attempted result was to create an eye-catching and visually pleasing poster that encouraged interaction and discussion with the researchers and stakeholders alike.
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Figure 8: Infographic poster designed to explain structural and process connectivity concepts (see text for explanation).