What Triggers Desertification and How Can We Stop It?
What desertification is? Land degradation in drylands in which biological productivity is depleted due to natural methods or affected by human pursuant, resulting in fertile areas becoming increasingly dry is known as desertification. It is the spread of arid areas induced by various factors, such as climate change such as global warming and overexploitation of soil resulting from human activity. Throughout geological history, the evolution of deserts has transpired naturally. In recent times, the potential impacts of human activity, improper land management, deforestation, and weather variation on desertification are the subject of scientific research.
Impacts of Desertification
Around 250 million people's lives are affected by drought and desertification. Desertification has the potential to displace almost 135 million people by the end of the year 2045, thereby becoming one the most devastating natural hazards for humans. As drylands cover almost half of the ice free land surface, it has the potential of impacting many of the poorest countries in the world.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) records that desertification has transformed 36 million square km of land and is important international observance. According to the UNC (United Nations Convention), major policy interventions and changes in management approaches are needed to combat desertification. Such arbitrations should be performed from local to global scales, with stakeholders and local communities' active involvement and commitment.
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Causes of Desertification
Desertification is caused by several issues. Natural occurrences and human hands can provoke or spark desertification. In regions of low precipitation, like Sub-Saharan Africa, prolonged droughts that turn arid land into unfruitful, barren soil are a constant cause of desertification.
Drought alters everything, including farming opportunity, food and water security, population growth and migration. Drought exasperates poverty, which is already an upshot in many Sub-Saharan countries like Ethiopia and Senegal. Many people in these areas are inadequate to confront what causes desertification without proper formation.
Soil erosion plays a significant role in desertification. It converts the livable areas into deserts. Fifty percent of the land's productivity has decreased due to soil erosion and desertification. This explains desertification as a lead to depletion of biodiversity , degradation of the soil, and alteration in the ecosystem.
Overcultivation or overcropping is another cause of desertification. Soil nutrients drain and become bare in areas where farmers overuse and overharvest earlier arable land. In Nigeria, over-cultivation is a major issue threatening its citizens' livelihood who depend on agriculture's nearly infertile land.
The excessive amounts of manure and pesticides to maximise crop yields in the short term often leads to significant depreciation of the soil. In the long run, this may transmute the fertile land into an arid land and no longer be suitable for farming purposes since the soil becomes damaged over time. Therefore excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides are also causes of desertification.
Overgrazing of livestock is another significant cause of desertification. Earlier farmers would graze livestock by relocating the animals nearby, but this is no longer the case. Cattle grazing in a perpetual space hinders the restoration of the plants the animals are grazing on. Overgrazing makes the soil unusable as the land is inadequate to keep up with the livestock needs. This is a significant menace in most regions, such as in central Asian rangelands, like Mongolia and Kazakhstan.
Climate change is another significant issue that plays a massive role in desertification. As the local climate is changing rapidly, many places are experiencing regular droughts, resulting in eventual desertification.
Measures to Prevent Desertification
Drought, deforestation and climate change contribute to the extreme global issue known as desertification. The result of desertification is arid land that cannot be used to produce food or crop or for other agricultural purposes. Prevention methods are needed as the process of restoring already barren and damaged lands are costly and tend to have relatively unsuccessful yield.
Firstly land and water management can be practised to prevent desertification. Sustainable practices are at the centre of the prevention measures. Overgrazing, deforestation, irrigation and other damaging soil practices need to be checked and controlled.
Secondly, protecting soil from wind and water erosion helps prevent ecosystem services loss during droughts. Another key factor is alternative farming and industrial techniques that are less demanding on local land and natural resource use, such as dryland aquaculture for fish production and industrial compounds, limit desertification.
Lastly, establishing economic opportunities outside drylands and unpacking new opportunities for people to earn sustenance, such as urban growth and infrastructure, could reduce and stir pressures bearing the desertification methods.
FAQs on Desertification: Causes, Impacts, and Prevention
1. What is desertification?
Desertification is a type of land degradation in which a relatively dry land region becomes increasingly arid, typically losing its bodies of water as well as vegetation and wildlife. It is caused by a variety of factors, such as climate change and human activities. It is important to note that this process is about the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas, not the expansion of existing natural deserts.
2. What are the main causes of desertification?
Desertification is caused by a combination of natural and human-induced factors. The primary causes include:
- Overgrazing: Excessive grazing by livestock strips the land of its vegetation cover, leading to soil erosion.
- Deforestation: The removal of trees and forests for fuel, timber, or agriculture exposes the soil to erosion by wind and water.
- Unsustainable Agricultural Practices: Intensive farming without proper soil management can deplete soil nutrients and structure.
- Climate Change: Changes in rainfall patterns, prolonged droughts, and increased temperatures can stress ecosystems and accelerate degradation.
- Improper Water Management: Over-extraction of groundwater and inefficient irrigation can lead to soil salinization, making the land unproductive.
3. How is desertification different from a drought?
While related, desertification and drought are different. A drought is a natural, temporary period of below-average rainfall, leading to a water shortage. Desertification, on the other hand, is a long-term process of land degradation that makes the land less productive. A persistent drought can be a major cause of desertification, but desertification also involves human activities that degrade the land's biological potential.
4. What are the major effects of desertification on the environment and human life?
The effects of desertification are severe and wide-ranging. Key impacts include the loss of soil fertility, leading to reduced agricultural productivity and food insecurity. It also causes a significant loss of biodiversity as plant and animal habitats are destroyed. For human populations, it can lead to poverty, forced migration, and increased vulnerability to natural disasters like sandstorms and floods.
5. What are some effective solutions to combat desertification?
Combating desertification requires integrated strategies. Some effective solutions include:
- Reforestation and Afforestation: Planting trees and restoring forest cover helps to bind the soil and improve water retention.
- Sustainable Land Management: Practices like crop rotation, contour ploughing, and creating shelterbelts (rows of trees) can prevent soil erosion.
- Water Conservation: Implementing efficient irrigation techniques like drip irrigation and rainwater harvesting helps manage scarce water resources.
- Policy and Community Involvement: Government policies that promote sustainable land use and involve local communities are crucial for long-term success.
6. Can you provide a real-world example of desertification?
A prominent example is the Sahel region in Africa, which borders the Sahara Desert. A combination of recurring severe droughts and human pressures like overgrazing and deforestation has led to widespread land degradation in this region. This has severely impacted the livelihoods of millions of people who depend on the land for farming and pastoralism, turning once-productive areas into barren landscapes.
7. How does deforestation directly contribute to desertification?
Deforestation is a primary driver of desertification. Trees and forests are essential for maintaining the ecological balance of an area. They anchor the soil with their roots, preventing wind and water erosion. They also contribute to the local water cycle through transpiration. When forests are cleared, the exposed topsoil is easily washed or blown away, the land loses its ability to retain moisture, and the microclimate can become hotter and drier, creating the perfect conditions for desertification.
8. Is desertification only the expansion of existing deserts?
No, this is a common misconception. Desertification is not the physical expansion of existing deserts. It is the process of fertile land becoming less productive and losing its biological diversity in dryland areas, which can occur far from natural deserts. It is about the degradation of specific ecosystems due to climate variations and unsustainable human activities, not the movement of sand dunes into new areas.
9. What is the impact of desertification on biodiversity?
Desertification causes a drastic reduction in biodiversity. As vegetation cover is lost, the habitats for countless species of plants, animals, insects, and soil microorganisms are destroyed. This loss of habitat disrupts the entire food web and ecosystem functions. It can lead to the local extinction of native species and a sharp decline in the overall genetic and species diversity of the affected region, making the ecosystem less resilient.
10. Why are dryland ecosystems particularly vulnerable to desertification?
Dryland ecosystems, which include arid and semi-arid lands, are inherently fragile because of their limited and variable rainfall and thin topsoil. Their ecological balance is delicate and they have a low natural resilience. Even minor human-induced pressures, such as a small increase in livestock grazing or unsustainable farming, can quickly overwhelm the ecosystem's ability to recover, triggering a downward spiral of land degradation that is difficult to reverse.
