Desertification Assignment

Desertification Assignment
1.Define desertification. Desertification is the degradation of dry lands. It can be caused either by climate change or destructive land use. Deserts
advance irregularly, in small patches. The most commonly causes of desertification are excessive farming, overgrazing, deforestation, and poor
irrigation practices. Maintaining forests is incredibly important in preventing desertification. 2.Briefly discuss patterns in geography. The location and
arrangement of both physical and human phenomena form regular and recurring patterns. Population, trade flows, cities, and towns would all be
examples of human phenomena that can be described in spatial terms. If you wanted to study settlement patterns in the U.S., you might look at
historical maps and notice that the first settlements were first located by waterways. Then, looking at a different set of maps you might notice that most
roadways were initially built beside existing waterways. Spatial analysis helps people with this historical research and understanding how and why
certain parts of the country developed the way they did. 3.How is migration impacting the United States? Environmental degradation is both a cause
and a consequence of human migration. One of the most important factors to consider when discussing migration is the environment. 4.Explain the
four basic components of spatial organization. The four basic components of spatial organization are points, lines, areas, and volumes. 5.What is a
climate action
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The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was ratified in 1996. It is a multilateral agreement which was made to address
desertification. Desertification is defined as "the land degradation in arid, semi–arid and dry sub–humid areas, generally known as 'drylands' ". Many
African states believed their sustainable development was being obstructed due to issues such as poverty, and food insecurity and were not being given
necessary attention by the international political community .
The need for an international convention was based on the argument that although the effects of desertification are often felt locally, it could not be
ignored that globally contributed changes such as climate change and changes in soil and...show more content...
The goals are quantifiable; however, the degree to which they produce measurability is still weak. Land desertification could be analyzed against
other factors such as geology, and human action . In addition the use of GIC and various soil indicators and food production can be used to quantify
the improvement of desertification. The use of GDP as well as the Human Development Index can be used to measure the improvements of poverty and
education.
Identification and Description of Challenges
One of the greatest difficulties that arises when dealing with an environmental issue such as desertification on an international scale is the fact that its
affects are not geographically universal. For instance, regions of Africa and Asia are highly susceptible to land degradation and its affects are often
only apparent at the local level. As such, during early debates concerning desertification there was much reluctance coming from developed countries to
recognize it as a global concern. Many developed countries, especially within Europe, argued that land degradation was a local problem that results
from the "cumulative

The Problem Of Desertification
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CONCERNS Desertification is an environmental and socio–economic problem. Environmental justice is characterized
by the equal sharing of risks and benefits, distributed equally without discrimination. The land affected falls in rural areas beyond the mainland which
are primarily occupied by non–Han ethnic minorities. These areas include the autonomous regions of Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, and Tibet, which
have historically been oppressed. The social component of the problem creates a cycle in which "poverty exacerbates desertification, and in turn,
desertification aggravates poverty." The cycle will continue until the wellbeing of people living in desertified areas is considerably improved to the
point where they no longer rely on degraded land for survival. Only then will they be able to limit their impact on desertified land. Chen and Tang
further explain "For degraded land, withdrawal of farmlands and enclosing pastures in order to exclude grazing are undoubtedly the most effective
ways to prevent further desertification. These measures would deprive local people of their sole livelihood." Attempts to reduce desertification have
neglected the human component of the problem. As a solution, Wang et al. suggest that "outward migration with a carefully considered relocation
policy is an important choice for desertified areas that are judged to be beyond ecological carrying capacity." Miao et al. echo this idea, explaining that
reclamation efforts

Ocean Desertification Research Paper
global concern, leaving many to question, is there a remedy for the misfortunes that befall with ocean desertification? Albeit, ocean desertification is
inevitable there are ways society may delay the progression of ocean desertification. Several tactical approaches could be applied to assist with
remediating ocean desertification. In proposing a resolution for ocean desertification, it is beneficial to implement two types of strategies. After
critically thinking, logically, it would be appropriate to apply a practical solution (i.e., build an infrastructure or reservoir) in conjunction with a process
solution (i.e., framework or plan to address ocean desertification). I am not questioning research efforts or past research but I am questioning

Desertification is the spread of the desert where a forest or other vegetation used to be. It became very well known in the early 1930's. There are
hundreds of factors that contribute to the causes of Desertification. One of the main causes, although nature also plays a big part, is the human race.
Some of the wildlife in the area where the Desertification is taking place can cause the death of a thousands of animals. There is a type of plant that the
people of all nations are planting when they plant crops to help with something known as Erosion. All these topics and ways to help stop
Desertification will be answered in this paper.
One of the main causes for Desertification is something named Erosion. The definition for Erosion is when the...show more content...
In Africa over 65% of their land is dry land due to Desertification. The people are starving to death due to the fact that over 280 million tonnes of
their cereal crops are being lost because Desertification. The arid areas that can be found in Africa have been becoming dryer for the past five
thousand years. They are doing one thing to help battle this problem. The have planted something known to us as The Green Wall. The Green Wall is
a wall of trees and different plant they have grown in order to help stop Desertification from killing their food.

As lack of water and a particularly dry climate out competes shrubs, trees, and grasslands across Colorado, erosion rates increase reducing the
infiltration of moisture into the soil. Causation is believed to have come from heavy livestock grazing, fire suppression, and the introduction of exotic
annual plants. Habitat problems for animals and communities that rely on ranching and hunting have been directly affected by these desertification
effects. Desertification has had large ecological impacts on the state of Colorado. Vegetation and ecosystems are among the most crucially impacted by
the effects of desertification. While Colorado continues its dry drought like climate, restoration of soil becomes one of the major solutions to fight off
desertification. Because of the overuse of our land in past generations, we are continuing to see the harmful effects due to desertification. The overall
impact on humans produced by desertification is best noticed by a diminishing food production as well as a wealth of water sources becoming dry.
People in affected areas are likely to experience poor water quality, dust storms, and pollution. More importantly, as soil loses its nutrients, it no longer
becomes farmable; thus, impacting local businesses, livestock, and the many people in that community. If desertification continues in Colorado, an
increase of lost farmlands and livestock will pose an economic decease within agriculture markets, farmers will be forced to move to find better

The Measurements of Desertification Essay example
The Measurements of Desertification
"Drought and desertification threaten the livelihood of over one billion people in more than 110 countries" warned general Kofi in 2001
(Kovach,2003). Desertifications definition is highly disputed but it is generally the shift of arid or semi–arid regions to desert–like conditions, which
support: little vegetation, a low soil fertility and high evaporation rates (Haggett, 2001). This work will overlook how deserts are measured by a
variety of different means.
To measure the growth of deserts characteristics need to be obtained. By creating set indicators for deserts the spread of desertification can be gauged.
Climate (Anderson,2001) is one of the larger...show more content...
Also the local flora and fauna act as indicators of desertification: vegetation cover allows biologists to define weather the areas flora is decreasing in
number (UN,2004) and thus potentially allowing for land degradation to set in (the forerunner to desertification). Also the types of vegetation in
potential risk areas is important: the appearance of xerophytes indicates that there is little groundwater, also the appearance of halophytes would
indicate higher than average soil salinity and perhaps the onset of soil salinisation (Saouma, 1993) – which again shadows desertification and land
degradation.
Also the presence of humans and the land–uses that they impose on dryland ecosystems can also encourage desertification. Less economically
developed countries (LEDCs) are found within most desert areas across the globe: appendix 1B shows that all but the Great basin desert in the USA
and the Australian desert, harbour less developed countries. Due to this management of dryland areas is often poorly developed as the countries people
have little financial support (Friedman,1994). This indicator would allow for the creation of well managed dryland development projects (UN,2004).
Measuring climate, soil fertility, biota and wealth distribution are but a few of the many indicators that could be implemented in gauging the spread of
desertification (Saouma,1993), with

Effects Of Sahel Desertification
The desertification of Sahel is causing devastating environmental issue in Africa. Desertification is the process of how fertile land becomes desert.
This is usually cause by drought, deforestation, or poor agriculture planning. If it is overgrazed fields, or even the increase of wood needed to burn,
human interaction has helped advance the expansion of desertification.
The area currently surrounding Khartoum, Sudan was once covered in small forests, but because of the increasing need for farm land and wood fuel,
the forest has become another victim of desertification. The tropical rain forest on the border of Sahel, is also being slowly affected by desertification.
In addition, the increasing amount of irrigation systems and drilling are changing

Of Morocco's 446,550 square kilometers, around 18% of the land is arable which is widely used for agriculture because of the fertile soil. The climate
of Morocco is subtropical and moderate, despite interior parts of the country having harsh dessert climate with variable extremes in temperature.
Natural resources in Morocco include phosphate, barite, cobalt, fluorspar and lead. Due to the country's fertile land, agricultural products also play a
key role in the economy. This includes tomatoes, mandarins/clementines/tangerines, oranges and olives. Morocco also exports consumer goods such as
textiles and leather goods with reflects on an abundance of livestock such as cattle and sheep (for wool). ("Economy & Industry.") Drought and
advancing desertification is one impact of climate change which is often widely felt in Morocco along with other countries in Northwest Africa. This is
especially damaging to the agricultural industry in Morocco. The most apparent changes stemming from climate change are increasing temperatures
and reduced rainfall. Increasing population has put pressure on the slow growing agricultural industry which is having trouble meeting the demands of
the county's population. With about 3,400 kilometers of coastlines, Morocco is also vulnerable to sea level rise and most of it's economic activity
occurs near the coast. This shows that climate change is a real threat to agriculture, fishing, water supplies, tourism and the unique ecosystems of the
country.

The Cause And Effects Of Desertification
Introduction
Desertification is the development of desert–like conditions in regions that have experienced human disturbance (Laura, n.d.). Drought, growing
population and war are factors affecting desertification. They have their tremendous impacts; however, they can be solved.
Causes
Drought is one of the most related factors to desertification. It is defined as a long period of time when there is little or no rain. Drought can be caused
by not receiving rain over a period of time. This is because of climate change which has been affecting us badly since many decades. Moreover, humans
can be the cause too because they use too much water during times of normal rainfall which leads to the immediate consequence that we might not have
enough...show more content...
It has been said that growing in population will lead to farming too little land because of crawling buildings in grasslands. The growing population can
cause destruction of grass lands and this can cause desertification.
Drought and growing populations are not only the two causes of desertification but also there is a third reason which is war. War happens due to many
reasons such as economics, land, resources, religious beliefs, and importantly power (Halo3Pro, 2011).
War contributes badly to cause desertification. People start eliminating themselves and leaving their lands empty and dusty. A great example that
supports this point is the radiation in Japan. When the hydrogen bombs dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, thousands of people
were killed. Additionally, the bomb left disastrous environment in the surrounding areas. Chemicals and poisons had destroyed everything including
plants and the most fundamental gas for breathing which is oxygen. Although war has massive destruction in many areas in the world which ends up
with causing desertification, Oman has been living in peace and it has not been through such

Desertification: A Worldwide Problem Essay
California's central valley conjures images of lush, green landscapes; however, it has been plagued by drought for much of the past decade. While we
may have only felt most of the effects of drought in our bank accounts with increasing water rates, the central valley has felt the effects in another way
– the process of desertification. The process has caused major concern for many in the agricultural community but has moreover led to a widespread
concern for much of the developing world. Desertification is a global environmental problem that the textbook Principles of Environmental Science:
Inquiry and Applications,written by William P. Cunningham and Mary Ann Cunningham, defines as the "process of conversion of once fertile land to
...show more content...
Additionally, lands that are thoroughly tilled are also subject to the wind erosion. To highlight this point further "[e]very year more than 1million tons
of sand and dust blow from Chinese drylands, often traveling across the Pacific Ocean to the West Coast of North America" (Cunningham 167).
Allowing animals to overgraze native plants is another contributor to desertification. In China, "[p]eople share land but raise animals for themselves
and try to enrich themselves by raising as many as they can. This leads to more animals than the land can support" (Hays). These animals typically
eat the best of what the native land has to offer and so on until much of the native plants are gone. This also allows for soils to be degraded by winds
but more importantly, it can have an effect on the rain fall in this location. Fewer plants lead to less transpiration by those plants which can lead to less
accumulation of moisture in the air.
Water is most certainly an important resource to us all– plants, animals and humans alike. Due to this fact, water scarcity can be a contributing factor
to desertification as well. "[W]ater scarcity limits the production of crops, forage, wood, and other ecosystem provisioning services" (GreenFacts). This
highlights why the UNCCD is most concerned about desertification in the generally dryer areas with scarce water supplies.
Due to the undeniable effects that desertification can have on regions and populations of the world, the

Desertification Essay
Desertification is a term few people recognize and even fewer are concerned about. This paper will cover what desertification is along with why it is
a global crisis, what the root causes of desertification are, what can be done to reverse the harm full desertification process, it will also cover how
farmers can work together to prevent future desertification.
Desertification is defined by Scott E Spoolman and G. Miller in their book Living in the Environment as "the conversion of rangeland, rain–fed
cropland, or irrigated cropland to desert–like land with a drop of agricultural activity of 10% or more". To put this as simple as possible desertification
is turning usable soil into desert. Dissertation is hard to observe but over time...show more content...
Other harmful human practices include overgrazing, undergrazing, deforestation, and burning crop residue.
Natural causes leading to dissertation have been ongoing for the last few thousand years. That is to say, since the start of the world. As Brady, Nyle
C., and Ray R. Weil. state in their book Elements of the Nature and Properties of Soils "Water deficiency is a major characteristic of these (arid)
soils." Soils without consistent water and the ability to store water require excessive care. Other natural causes are wild animal overpopulation or
underpopulation, bare land, forest fires and natural disasters. While these many causes may seem overwhelming to correct there is much hope for arid
lands.
Reversing desert land into viable land is often a lengthy, labor intensive, and costly process which explains why we still have growing deserts. Each
dessert is different and will require a individual treatment plan. A common practices is "flushing" the soil. This refers to the dilution of the salt content
in the soil and the lowering of the water table via perfect irrigation practices. Another treatment option is fallowing. This is letting the land eventually
heal itself by leaving it untouched for three to five years. Installing underground drainage is another option though this process is highly invasive.
Keeping the ground covered by the use of mulch and

Desertification: The Great Barrier Reef
There is a word "desertification" which indicates that forest losing its own green color. But the desertification doesn't only happen on the land, it also
happens in the ocean. The ocean desertification is being process on the coral reef zones, it is called coral bleaching. The coral bleaching is caused by
the increase of ocean temperature, which makes coral reefs to leave only is white skeleton. The main cause of it is by the climate change, which is
related to the pollution done by human. Thus to prevent further destruction or to recover some of it, being uncomfortable in our daily lives are
necessary. Because the comfortable lives includes the activities that leads to pollution such as using plastic materials, wasting environments, or much
...show more content...
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef zone in Australia and it is now being suffered by the coral bleaching. The coral reefs usually
have colorful outfits and it provides a great habitat to many of ocean creatures. Nonetheless the many coral reefs in Great Barrier Reef are
deforming to be white colored. There are microscopic plant cells in symbiosis with coral reefs, which requires the sun's energy. However, since the
temperature went up, the balance of symbiosis goes out, so the coral reefs releases the plant cells to the water and it makes its white color. The video
states that anything that helps the climate change will also helps the coral bleaching. The coral reef zones like Great Barrier Reef are deeply related to
the ocean ecosystem, so the if the destruction goes on and on, in close future our eyes might not able to see that magnificently beautiful corals anymore
and many of ocean creatures. The destruction of one ecosystem doesn't only hazardous to those creatures in that ecosystem, but it gives dangers to all
ecosystem and could lead to another destruction of other

Desertification Essay
It is widely recognized that desertification is a serious peril to dryland and semi–dryland environments, which cover approximately 40% of the global
land surface and populate millions of humans. The global drylands face an innumerable amount of problems that present tough and perplexing research,
management and policy challenges. Desertification is the degradation of grasslands, savannas, and woodlands to a more desert–like condition, with
resulting decrease in plant production and the land's ability to support livestock grazing or other human uses. (United Nations et al. 2006) The focus
of this paper is to identify the causes and effects of desertification and assess how we can use plants to reduce desertification and to provide a...show
more content...
2005)
Several potential solutions to combat against desertification may include initiatives such as a) education in teaching sustainable practices helping
farmers/residents to understand how to best use the land, b) technology advancements using research and awareness in finding new and improved
methods towards prevention c) policy changes relating to how people can farm and how types of lands are governed and d) rehabilitation efforts to
restore the land that has already been affected. The focus on global drylands is shifting from an emphasis on negative images of desertification to a
more forward–looking perspective concerning human livelihoods, based on interactions between and among human activities and natural–world
processes. (Reynolds et al. 2007) The Drylands Development Paradigm represents a convergence of insights and key advances drawn from a diverse
array of research in desertification, vulnerability, poverty alleviation, and community development. (Reynolds et al. 2007)
A new model has been introduced which includes a set of strategies that has been developed to reduce soil erosion by planting vegetation in
desertification hotspots. The model reproduces a wide range of patterns observed in water–limited regions, including drifting bands, spots, and
labyrinths. It predicts transitions from bare soil at low precipitation to homogeneous vegetation at high precipitation, through intermediate states of
spot, stripe and hole

Desertification As A Global Problem
Desertification is defined by the UN as the "persistent degradation of dryland ecosystems by human activities, including unsustainable farming, mining,
overgrazing and clear–cutting of land and by climate change" ("Desertification"). Desertification can also be defined as a process that reduces
biological productivity and the intensification of desert conditions (Hellden 372). Although less publicized, desertification is an issue that requires
international cooperation as the victims of drought, famine and the numerous environmental problems of dry lands are over 250 million, and more
than one billion people in over 100 countries are at risk ("Desertification as a global problem" 1). Additionally, desertification tends to affect...show
more content...
Although no quantifiable targets were specified in the agreement, which contributed to its ineffectiveness, Goal 15 of the UN's SDGs has a target to
"combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land
degradation–neutral world" by 2030.
Part 2: Desertification Challenges
Desertification is an environmental problem difficult to address due to its wide definition and extensive forms of manifestation. According to Warren,
the inadequacies of the definitions of desertification, even among the scientific community, has led to a credibility gap and a dismissal of the issue
relative to other environmental problems (12). Secondly, there are logistical issues, as sustainably managing dry lands would involve a bottom–up
approach and the inclusion of local populates affected by desertification in the decision making process (13). Implementation of the convention was
also complicated by the use of National Action Programmes (NAPs), which required identification of causes and solutions to desertification in each
country, large research undertakings for which countries have unequal amount of resources to

Desertification In The United States Essay
Causes of Desertification in the United States of America Desertification is the change of land once suitable for agriculture into a desert. This
progression changes arable land into a desert unequipped for the growth of crops and farming practices. Dry land affects millions of people lives
because the land becomes unsuitable for agriculture so the people cannot grow crops, therefore, they cannot feed them self or their livestock. Which
leaves the people without food. Desertification also causes problems in the food chain. Three main causes of desertification are drought, deforestation,
and Overgrazing Drought is a period of below average rainfall in a specified region resulting in prolonged shortages in its water supply. Drought in the
West is a long–lasting concept where a single dry year does not make a drought. Drought is a big problem because it leads to plant dying and when
the plants die the animals also die because they have nothing to eat. Which leads people to die because they lack food. California and Arizona are
currently suffering from a drought problem.
Deforestation is clearing Earth forests on a huge scale, often leading to the damage of the quality of the land. Maine, Vermont, and over a dozen other
states make up the nation Northeast region.the amount of reforestation in that region is...show more content...
The three major causes are drought, deforestation, and Overgrazing. Desertification in the United States of America is a serious issue because the
process of Desertification includes climate issues and soil issues which lead to plants not growing and plants not growing leads to livestock not
having food which leads to us the humans not having any food to eat. We need to stop desertification not only in the united states of America but the
rest of the world too because we need to preserve our plant fo as long as we can so not for us bu also for our children and

Essay Desertification And Deforestation
Desertification And Deforestation
The Amazon Rainforest is probably the most important region that is threatened by deforestation. With over four million squared kilometers it is
roughly the size of the United States. The Amazon spreads across nine South American Countries and contains one–fifth of the Worlds fresh water and
one–third of the known living species. The land is home to hundreds of indigenous groups and is considered by many to be "the lungs of the planet".
Most of the Amazon is still pristine, but the region is being destroyed at an alarming rate. Over 8 million acres of the rainforest are lost every year.
Between 1978 to 1996, 12.5 percent of the irreplacable rainforest was destroyed....show more content...
The logging industries punch new roads into pristine forests, invade indigenous lands, parks and preserves, and murder those who stand in their way.
Brazil does not have the means to fully regulate the logging industries however, the Asain logging companies were fined over one million dollars for
illegal logging last year. The loggers have cut more than 3,000 miles of roads into the intact forest regions.
The Rainforest Action Network (RAN) has taken action against these loggiing industries. Their Convention on the International Trade in Endangered
Species (CITES) and letter–writing campaign has led the Brazilian National Congress to put mahagony logging on hold for the next two years. Also,
President Cardoso has introduced a measure to stop deforestation as a result of farming and ranching . This would limit clearing to twenty percent
rather than fifty. RAN has also convinced thousands of U.S. architects, builders and lumber yards to stop seling and using old growth redwood. The
are now calling upon the U.S. to stop all imports of Mahagony.
The biggest threat to the Amazon Basin are the "Mega Projects". The goal of these projects are to create new economic and geographical links
between nations. The plan is to criss–cross the region with highways and waterways to access the Amazon's natural resources for commercial trade.
These projects are already underway. The Northern Border Highway is a mega–project that will span

Environmental Effects Of Desertification
Background: Desertification is the degradation of land and soil in dryland ecosystems caused by both the climate and human activities. In the
year 2000, one third of the population of the earth dwelled in dryland ecosystems, and drylands are 41% of world's land. The effect of
desertification is massive because of the amount of people that live in affected areas. Drylands facilitate 44% of the food production in the world
and 50% of livestock, so these ecosystems are a very important source of resources. 2.6 billion people depend of the food developed in drylands and
many of those people have jobs making the food. 52% of the land is being affected in some way by degradation because it removes the moisture
that is needed to grow or herd food. Around 800 million people are going hungry and around 80% of these people are small land owners or they do
not own any land and are very poor. This means that those small land owners might not have any land in the end because of the deterioration of healthy
soil. Land degradation also effects water quantity and quality. Clean water is one of the most important resources in the world, and desertification
eliminates that resource. 74% of those in poverty are directly affected by land degradation. 10–20% of drylands are degraded already. The places most
effected by desertification are sub–Saharan and Central Asia drylands. Desertification occurs for various reasons. It can come from a failure to balance
how much the ecosystem can give as

Causes Of Desertification
Desertification is a dynamic process where viable soil becomes degraded land typically resulting from human activities such as deforestation,
inappropriate agriculture, or simply due to due climatic variations like drought. Desertification occurs globally in a variety of regions, yet not all
regions are alike, thus different forces that may be responsible for desertification. For example, in a region like Africa there are huge atmospheric
cycles that occur near the equator that pushes dry air towards Africa. Other forms of desertification can be driven in this area by the extensive
agriculture that sustains Africa's growing population. It may also be the lack of advanced technology that has gave first world countries a competitive
edge in assessing soils, increasing agricultural production, and lowering pollution levels. In another region such as China, the result of desertification in
places around the country derive from toxic levels of pollution, human alteration of the land, and natural causes. Though China may have advanced
technology, they still have problems figuring out ways to mitigate this problem due to their gigantic population size. Even the United States has been
through a drastic event that caused a huge economic impact and left thousands of landowners unable to farm and make revenue for many years.
Although many of these regions have different factors contributing to desertification, many similar trends can be seen that ultimately point to
desertification.

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