Helmut J. Geist, and Eric F. Lambin. 1, pp. Currently, photos show that the Gobi Desert has expanded to the point the entire nation of Croatia (about 4 million[29]) could fit inside its area. Desertification is, therefore, a [78], Enriching of the soil and restoration of its fertility is often achieved by plants. [34] A more recent study also reports overgrazing as a leading cause of desertification as well as the transition from sheep to goat farming in order to meet export demands for cashmere wool. While the global and regional interplay of these factors is complex, it is possible to understand it at the local scale. It occurs on all continents (except Antarctica) and affects the livelihoods of millions of people, including a large proportion of the poor in drylands. These salt flats are one of the most promising desert areas for seawater agriculture and could be revitalized without the use of freshwater or much energy. Cancer rates and mortality, types and causes, Endocrine disrupting properties of pesticides. Since 1980, this method to reforest degraded landscape has been applied with some success in Niger. 2002. [77], Another technique that is useful is contour trenching. 1. [18][19], As of 1998, the then-current degree of southward expansion of the Sahara was not well known, due to a lack of recent, measurable expansion of the desert into the Sahel at the time. The greatest vulnerability is ascribed to sub-Saharan and Central Asian drylands. [80], Another way to restore soil fertility is through the use of nitrogen-rich fertilizer. “Poverty and the drylands”, in Global Drylands Imperative, Challenge paper, Undp, Nairobi (Kenya) 16 p. Techniques for Desert Reclamation by Andrew S. Goudie. Desertification definition, the processes by which an area becomes a desert. Amongst several causes of environmental degradation, desertification is on the rise, and has led to a number of adverse effects on the environment. [28][1], Another major area that is being impacted by desertification is the Gobi Desert. Drylands include all terrestrial regions where water scarcity limits the production of crops, forage, wood, and other ecosystem provisioning services. Yet for others, the solution simply requires the exercise of human reason. The residue from pruned trees can be used to provide mulching for fields thus increasing soil water retention and reducing evaporation. The wall is 8,000 km wide, stretching across the entire width of the continent and has 8 billion dollars in support of the project. Meanwhile, 44% of agricultural land is located in dry lands and it supplies 60% of the world's food production. Is there a link between desertification, global climate change, and biodiversity loss? Desertification is a type of land degradation in drylands in which biological productivity is lost due to natural processes or induced by human activities whereby fertile areas become increasingly arid. Overgrazing is not necessarily caused by nomadic. Yücekutlu, Nihal; Terzioğlu, Serpil; Saydam, Cemal; Bildacı, Işık (2011). The agricultural business is being displaced from one country to another. Techniques focus on two aspects: provisioning of water, and fixation and hyper-fertilizing soil. [91][92][93][94][95][96][97], Process by which fertile areas of land become increasingly arid. [26], The United Nations Convention (UNC) says that about six million Sahelian citizens would have to give up the desertified zones of sub-Saharan Africa for North Africa and Europe between 1997 and 2020. [74] The Great Green Wall has created many job opportunities for the participating countries, with over 20,000 jobs created in Nigeria alone.[75]. The cause of the lake drying up is due to irrigation withdrawal and the annual rainfall dropping. The contribution of scientists to the debate. HelpSaveNature offers an insight into the causes and effects of desertification on the environment, and ultimately on human life. The aim would be to enhance the existing cooperative loops between soil microbes and vegetation. 61, No. Johannesburg. They hereby create a symbiotic relation with the trees, increasing the surface area of the tree's roots greatly (allowing the tree to gather much more nutrient from the soil). Dobie, Ph. The short-term vision of governments and communities, seeking to maximize economic returns in the shortest possible time, had led to a severe degradation of the soil. Information and translations of desertification in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Commissioned through this program, Peveril Meigs eventually provided the taxonomic basis for most contemporary efforts to define arid conditions [11,29]. 5. What is at stake? The results of this study indicate that, wheat varieties fed by irradiated Saharan soil solution gave comparable results to Hewitt nutrient solution. Therefore, desertification ranks among the greatest environmental challenges today and is a major impediment to meeting basic human needs in drylands. Desertification is a form of land degradation by which fertile land becomes desert. Meaning of desertification. The pressure is increasing on dryland ecosystems for providing services such as food, forage, fuel, building materials, and water for humans and livestock, for irrigation, and for sanitation. Desertification and its relationship to the environment and development: a problem that affects us all. This can disform and shorten the life time of clouds which can result in less rainfall. 2. [51], A downward spiral is created in many underdeveloped countries by overgrazing, land exhaustion and overdrafting of groundwater in many of the marginally productive world regions due to overpopulation pressures to exploit marginal drylands for farming. Scientists agree that the existence of a desert in the place where the Sahara desert is now located is due to a natural climate cycle; this cycle often causes a lack of water in the area from time to time. Deforestation definition, the clearing or severe thinning of a forest or other wooded area, leaving few or no trees: Most of the world’s deforestation is happening in Brazil. Of these, leguminous plants which extract nitrogen from the air and fix it in the soil, succulents (such as Opuntia),[79] and food crops/trees as grains, barley, beans and dates are the most important. accepted ... One way to try to define desertification in as an unbiascd way as possible is to look . 7. Desertification is the process whereby land in semi-arid regions become desert, the grasslands becomes semi-desert and so on. [21] Some studies have shown that Africa has lost approximately 650,000 km² of its productive agricultural land over the past 50 years; the propagation of desertification in this area is considerable. What does desertification mean? [82], Some research centres (such as Bel-Air Research Center IRD/ISRA/UCAD) are also experimenting with the inoculation of tree species with mycorrhiza in arid zones. According to Chinese reports, there have been nearly 66 billion trees planted in China's great green wall. Shoot length (cm.seedling-1), leaf area (cm2 seedling-1) and photosynthetic pigments [chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotenoids, mg ml-1 g fresh weight (g fw)-1] have been determined. Some techniques as zaï or tillage are then used to still allow the planting of crops. [40], As the desertification takes place, the landscape may progress through different stages and continuously transform in appearance. This report evaluates the condition of desertification in drylands, including hyper-arid areas, by asking pointed questions and providing answers based exclusively on the reports generated for the MA. Runyan, (2013). Define desertification. Wildebeest in Masai Mara during the Great Migration. A mathematical model of this phenomenon proposed by C. Klausmeier attributes this patterning to dynamics in plant-water interaction. 8. [49][50], At least 90% of the inhabitants of drylands live in developing countries, where they also suffer from poor economic and social conditions. [33] As well as overgrazing and climate change, the Mongolia government listed forest fires, blights, unsustainable forestry and mining activities as leading causes of desertification in the country. Features and factors of desertification and drought. The area of Mongolian land covered by sand has increased by 8.7% over the last 40 years. Decision-makers are understandably averse to invest in arid zones with low potential. The trenches are made parallel to the height lines of the landscape, preventing the water from flowing within the trenches and causing erosion. Desertification, as defined in Chapter 12 of Agenda 21 and in the International Convention on Desertification, is the degradation of the land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub- humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities. [24][25] The survey, done by the Research Institute for Development, had demonstrated that this means dryness is spreading fast in the Sahelian countries. Cornet A., 2002. n. The transformation of arable or habitable land to desert, as by a change in climate or destructive land use. This continuous use of the land rapidly depletes the nutrients of the soil causing desertification to spread.