1. UNCCD - United Nations Convention To Combat Desertification Provides access to the official documents maintained or received by the UNCCD Secretariat and is a general source of information on the topic of desertification for the http://www.unccd.int/

TUE 2 Nov 2010 Home About UNCCD Secretariat Action programmes ... Staff Webmail access We support: Your browser does not support iframes. A bimonthly update on the work of the UNCCD Follow us on Twitter UNCCD Photobank Visit the UNCCD photo gallery for images on desertification. more.. The beauty of the Deserts the challenge of Desertification. Deserts of the Earth, por Michael Martin more.. Meetings and Events (2010) Meetings and Events June- December 2010 *Tentative information 31 May-4 June : Rome Training of trainers from Sub-regional/Regional Reference Centers on the 4th reporting cycle June-July A series of subregional Training courses on UNCCD reporting to National Focal Points 5 June: Bonn, Germany Land Day 2 7 - 10 June : Prague Regional Workshop on National Action Programme (NAP) Alignment and Financial Resource Mobilization in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) 17 June : worldwide World Day to Combat Desertification 21-22 June: Bonn, Germany CRIC Bureau meeting 21-22 June: Bonn, Germany CST Bureau meeting 23-24 June: Bonn, Germany

2. Desertification - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia desertification is the degradation of land in arid and dry subhumid areas due to various factors including climatic variations and human activities. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desertification

Desertification From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation search This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding reliable references . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed (April 2010) Goat husbandry is common through the Norte Chico of Chile , however it produces severe erosion and desertification. Image from upper Limarí River Desertification is the degradation of land in arid and dry sub-humid areas due to various factors: including climatic variations and human activities. A major impact of desertification is reduced biodiversity and diminished productive capacity , for example, by transition from land dominated by shrublands to non-native grasslands citation needed . For example, in the semi-arid regions of southern California, many coastal sage scrub and chaparral ecosystems have been replaced by non-native, invasive grasses due to the shortening of fire return intervals. This can create a monoculture of annual grass that cannot support the wide range of animals once found in the original ecosystem citation needed . In Madagascar 's central highland plateau citation needed , 10% of the entire country has desertified due to slash and burn agriculture by indigenous peoples citation needed Contents Causes Prehistoric patterns Historical and current desertification Countering desertification ... edit Causes Sand dunes advancing on Nouakchott , the capital of Mauritania Desertification is induced by several factors, primarily anthropogenic causes, which began in the

3. Desertification The Sahelian drought that began in 1968 was responsible for the deaths of between 100,000 and 250,000 people, the disruption of millions of lives, and the collapse of the http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/deserts/desertification/

The Sahelian drought that began in 1968 was responsible for the deaths of between 100,000 and 250,000 people, the disruption of millions of lives, and the collapse of the agricultural bases of five countries (photograph by Daniel Stiles, UNEP). The world's great deserts were formed by natural processes interacting over long intervals of time. During most of these times, deserts have grown and shrunk independent of human activities. Paleodeserts, large sand seas now inactive because they are stabilized by vegetation, extend well beyond the present margins of core deserts, such as the Sahara. In some regions, deserts are separated sharply from surrounding, less arid areas by mountains and other contrasting landforms that reflect basic structural differences in the regional geology. In other areas, desert fringes form a gradual transition from a dry to a more humid environment, making it more difficult to define the desert border. These transition zones have very fragile, delicately balanced ecosystems. Desert fringes often are a mosaic of microclimates. Small hollows support vegetation that picks up heat from the hot winds and protects the land from the prevailing winds. After rainfall the vegetated areas are distinctly cooler than the surroundings. In these marginal areas, human activity may stress the ecosystem beyond its tolerance limit, resulting in degradation of the land. By pounding the soil with their hooves, livestock compact the substrate, increase the proportion of fine material, and reduce the percolation rate of the soil, thus encouraging erosion by wind and water. Grazing and the collection of firewood reduces or eliminates plants that help to bind the soil.

4. CED*R (Cedar) - The Council On Ecological Desertification (Desert Management) An Extensive information and programs on desertification and Reforestation a EUCLID Institute. http://www.desertification.info/

:: Home Eritrea research paper published The Secretariat published today a noteworthy research paper by a Euclid MSD student from the Government of Eritrea MOU program. A further dossier (in French) on desertification in the Central African Republic will be published in November. Click here to read the complete text and access other recent news Last updated: October 15, 2008 CEDR: MC-Square Building, Lambroekstraat 5A, 1831 Diegem-Brussels, Belgium An affiliated institute of EUCLID (Euclid University) , an intergovernmental organization EU Tel. / Fax: 32 2 706-5660 // US Tel. / Fax: 1 (202) 478-1690 Feature Article: Desertification and Climate Change

5. Desertification - A Threat To The Sahel Describes how desertification may ruin a lush region of Africa. http://www.eden-foundation.org/project/desertif.html

Eden Foundation Founded 1985 in Sweden Active in Tanout, Niger, since 1987 auf deutsch nederlands Friends of Eden Desertification - a threat to the Sahel Articles Written: August 1994 For reference: Eden Foundation, Sweden (1994:1) Read Eden's latest article: Empowering Teenage Girls in Africa Land covers 14.9 billion hectares of the earth's surface. A UNEP (United Nations Environmental Programme) study shows that 6.1 billion hectares are dryland of which 1 billion hectares are naturally hyperarid desert. The rest of the dryland has either become desert or is being threatened by desertification. One quarter of the world's population inhabit the drylands and depend on this area for their livelihood. The misconception that the Sahel is directly exposed to the Sahara has been widely accepted. The Sahara is sometimes pictured as a sea of sand dunes washing onto the Sahel exposing farmers to waves of sand that roll in from the desert, yearly swallowing large chunks of farming land. If true it would be understandable that projects plant green belts in order to defend the Sahel from the invasion. In reality the situation is much more complex. In some places such as parts of North Africa and Mauritania the Sahara directly threatens farming land. However in Niger the pastoral zone to the north of Tanout (the town 13km N. of Eden's field station) is well vegetated with many bushes and trees. It is in fact a natural green belt that protects farmers from the Sahara.

6. Desertification :: Environmental Facts :: Young People's Trust For The Environme How the reduction of the World s forests causes desertification. http://www.ypte.org.uk/environmental/desertification/22

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7. IMPACTS - Desertification Detailed report supported by Greenpeace that examines the potential implications of global climate change for the Mediterranean region. http://archive.greenpeace.org/climate/science/reports/desertification.html

climate science Climate Change and the Mediterranean Region Executive Summary Water shortages and poor harvests during the droughts of the early 1990s exposed the acute vulnerability of the Mediterranean region to climatic extremes. Against this backdrop, the prospect of a major climate change brought about by human activities is a source of growing concern, raising serious questions over the sustainability of the region. This report examines the potential implications of global climate change for the Mediterranean region. Drawing on the results of recent studies, it reviews possible changes in climate together with recent trends, the potential impacts of climate change and the implications for sustainable development. One key finding is that future climate change could critically undermine efforts for sustainable development in the Mediterranean region. In particular, climate change may add to existing problems of desertification, water scarcity and food production, while also introducing new threats to human health, ecosystems and national economies of countries. The most serious impacts are likely to be felt in North African and eastern Mediterranean countries. The report concludes that while there is some scope for adaptation, ensuring the long-term sustainability of the region requires urgent action to cut global emissions of greenhouse gases.

8. The Desertification Of China, Ron Gluckman Reports From China Article and photos describe desertification in China, where the desert is on the move. With dunes already 75 kilometers from Beijing, environmentalists fear the sand could http://www.gluckman.com/ChinaDesert.html

Beijing's Desert Storm The desert is sweeping into China's valleys, choking rivers and consuming precious farm land. Beijing has responded with massive tree-planting campaigns, but the Great Green Walls may not be able to buffer the sand, which could cover the capital in a few years By Ron Gluckman /Beijing, Fengning and Langtougou, China F ROM HIS ROOFTOP, Su Rongxi maintains an unsteady balance, perched between the past and a precarious future. One foot is planted firmly upon his tiled roof. The other sinks ankle-deep into a huge sand dune that threatens to engulf his house and Langtougou village, where his ancestors have lived for generations. For this dirt-poor town in Hebei province, the sands of time aren't just a quaint notion, they are close at hand, burning the eyes and lungs. And for Langtougou, the sands seem to be ticking out. "We have no money to move and, besides, who would have us?" says Su. "There's nothing to do but dig away the sand and wait to see what happens. Sometimes I dream of the sand falling around me faster than I can dig away. The sand chokes me. I worry that in real life, the sand will win." Su and his neighbors are ethnic Manchurians who survive by cultivating subsistence crops and raising horses, goats and pigs. But this year violent sandstorms dumped entire dunes into the once-fertile Fengning county valley. Now most of the grass is gone and the Chaobai River stands dry. Besieged villagers say they have no idea where the sand came from. The scary bit? Su's almost-buried house is nowhere near the heart of China's rapidly encroaching deserts. It is just 160 km north of Beijing. Suddenly, rural Langtougou has become a barren outpost on the front line of a national battlefield.

9. Desertification desertification. One of the impacts which global warming may have on the surface of the Earth is to exacerbate the worldwide problem of desertification. http://www.ace.mmu.ac.uk/eae/Global_Warming/Older/Desertification.html

Desertification One of the impacts which global warming may have on the surface of the Earth is to exacerbate the worldwide problem of desertification. A decrease in the total amount of rainfall in arid and semi-arid areas could increase the total area of drylands worldwide, and thus the total amount of land potentially at risk from desertification. Desertification was defined at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 as "land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors including climatic variations and human activities". Desertification involves the depletion of vegetation and soils. Land degradation occurs all over the world, but it is only referred to as desertification when it takes place in drylands. This is because these areas are especially prone to more permanent damage as different areas of degraded land spread and merge together to form desert-like conditions. Global warming brought about by increasing greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere is expected to increase the variability of weather conditions and extreme events . Many dryland areas face increasingly low and erratic rainfalls, coupled with soil erosion by wind and the drying up of

10. Desertification | DESERTIFICATION Read at Land Degradation Announcement List landl@lists.iisd.ca The Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat desertification has the pleasure to invite http://desertification.wordpress.com/category/desertification/

11. Desertification | TutorVista The other cause for erosion is wind. It is more in areas where there is less or no vegetation covering the land. The fast moving wind moves the fine particles to other places. http://www.tutorvista.com/topic/desertification

12. Desertification: Definition From Answers.com n. The transformation of arable or habitable land to desert, as by a change in climate or destructive land use. http://www.answers.com/topic/desertification

13. United Nations System-Wide EARTHWATCH > Desertification Earthwatch Coordination extends the mandate and activities of the Division of Environmental Information, Assessment and Early Warning to the whole United Nations system. It http://www.un.org/earthwatch/desertification/landdegradation.html

Home Desertification Land Degradation Home News About Earthwatch UN Partners ... Agenda 21 Issues Select an Issue agriculture atmosphere biodiversity biotechnology consumption demography desertification development forests freshwater hazardous wastes health human settlements land resources mountains oceans poverty radioactive waste solid waste sustainable development toxic chemicals Regional Info Select a Region Africa Asia Europe Latin America North America Polar Regions West Asia World Major Assessments Indicators Site index Search Earthwatch ... This site is maintained by UNEP/GRID-Geneva Last Update: We would appreciate your feedback Desertification Land Degradation Land degradation has affected some 1900 million hectares of land word-wide. In Africa an estimated 500 million hectares of land have been affected by soil degradation, including 65% of the region's agricultural land. The rate at which arable land is being lost is increasing and is currently 30-35 times the historical rate. The loss of potential productivity due to soil erosion world wide is estimated to be equivalent to some 20 million tons of grain per year. And this is happening worldwide, not just in Africa or Asia ( UNEP, 1999

14. Desertification Short introduction into desertification in Africa. http://www.geog.umd.edu/research/projects/Desertification.htm

Undergraduate Graduate Graduate Application Program Brochures ... People Desertification Principal Investigator: Stephen D. Prince Non-degraded grazing land, at near potential productivity (NPP set by the climate and soil.) Dryland degradation or desertification is widely believed to be a major global environmental threat, to which the international community has responded with the United Nations Conference on Desertification (UNCOD) and a Convention to Combat Desertification. Yet no objective definition or operational measurement techniques have been agreed for global application. Existing field and regional reports are subjective, qualitative and inconsistent, inhibiting regional and global assessment. In this project this problem is addressed at local to regional and global scales Earlier work on this topic was undertaken in the Sahel (the southern fringe of the Sahara stretching from the Atlantic to the Red Sea). The region was the cradle of the desertification debate and it suffered several devastating droughts and famines between the late 1960s and early 1990s. Desertified (degraded) grazing land in northern South Africa. Note sparse vegetation and soil erosion

15. Scientific Facts On Desertification This Digest is a faithful summary of the leading scientific consensus report produced in 2005 by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) 'desertification Synthesis Report' http://www.greenfacts.org/en/desertification/index.htm

Publications Blog About us Press Room ... Links Languages: English [en] Español [es] Français [fr] Home » Desertification » Level 1 Source document: MA GreenFacts (2006) Scientific Facts on Desertification Information on our Three-Level Structure Level 1: Summary Level 2: ... Glossary Context - Desertification is the persistent degradation of dryland ecosystems. It threatens the livelihoods of some of the poorest and most vulnerable populations on the planet. Desertification is largely caused by unsustainable use of scarce resources. What options exist to avoid or reverse desertification and its negative impacts? Level 1 Questions Top Level 1: Summary ... Next Question 1. What is desertification? Present-day Drylands Desertification is the persistent degradation of dryland ecosystems by variations in climate and human activities. Home to a third of the human population in 2000, drylands occupy nearly half of Earth’s land area. Across the world, desertification affects the livelihoods of millions of people who rely on the benefits that dryland ecosystems can provide. In drylands , water scarcity limits the production of crops, forage, wood, and other

16. YouTube - DESERTIFICATION A VIDEO ABOUT desertification FOR GEOGRAPHY. Song Snow Patrol Chasing Cars. Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP5XMM2a_6A

17. Articles About Desertification - Los Angeles Times desertification News. Find breaking news, commentary, and archival information about desertification from the Los Angeles Times http://articles.latimes.com/keyword/desertification

18. Desertification Describes what causes desertification, and how we can stop it. http://www.bcb.uwc.ac.za/Envfacts/facts/desertification.htm

Desertification is the process which turns productive into non- productive desert as a result of poor land-management. Desertification occurs mainly in semi-arid areas (average annual rainfall less than 600 mm) bordering on deserts. In the Sahel, (the semi-arid area south of the Sahara Desert), for example, the desert moved 100 km southwards between 1950 and 1975. WHAT CAUSES DESERTIFICATION? * Overgrazing is the major cause of desertification worldwide. Plants of semi-arid areas are adapted to being eaten by sparsely scattered, large, grazing mammals which move in response to the patchy rainfall common to these regions. Early human pastoralists living in semi-arid areas copied this natural system. They moved their small groups of domestic animals in response to food and water availability. Such regular stock movement prevented overgrazing of the fragile plant cover. In modern times, the use of fences has prevented domestic and wild animals from moving in response to food availability, and overgrazing has often resulted. However, when used correctly, fencing is a valuable tool of good veld management.

19. Le Comité Scientifique Français De La Désertification (CSFD) CSFD provides political decision makers with accurate information on desertification and publishes thematic reports and fact sheets. In French and English. http://www.csf-desertification.org/

Accueil Actualités Désertif' TV English version ... Médias Abonnements : Navigation rapide Actualités Désertif' TV Archives English version Documents récents Hydrological Sciences Journal Brabant Pierre, 2010. Une méthode d’évaluation et de cartographie de la dégradation des terres. Collectif. 2010. Modernité, mobilité. L'avenir de l'élevage dans les zones arides d'Afrique. Désertif' TV Exposition Vivre en terres arides : des hommes et des femmes luttent contre la désertification Partenaires Première Assemblée Générale du réseau scientifique international DesertNet International Lundi, 25 Octobre 2010 15:01 DesertNet International (Richard Escadafal) et du conseil consultatif Marc Bied-Charreton et Maud Loireau) Lire la suite... Appel à communications pour un numéro multilingue de la revue Sécheresse Jeudi, 21 Octobre 2010 14:46 Un appel à communications pour un numéro multilingue de la revue "Sécheresse" portant sur "Les milieux arides et semi-arides d'Amérique latine" est lancé ! Les milieux arides et semi-arides d'Amérique latine ont connu et connaissent de fréquentes transformations techniques, sociales, politiques, économiques, avec des évolutions contrastées et parfois contradictoires. L'avenir des sociétés qui les exploitent est souvent fragilisé par les changements climatiques observés ou invoqués, d'autant plus que le phénomène El Niño est géographiquement proche.

20. Desertification: A Review Of The Concept Reproduced, with permission, from Glantz, M. H., and N. S. Orlovsky. 1983. desertification A review of the concept. desertification Control Bulletin 9 1522. http://www.ciesin.org/docs/002-479/002-479.html

Reproduced, with permission, from: Glantz, M. H., and N. S. Orlovsky. 1983. Desertification: A review of the concept. Desertification Control Bulletin Desertification: A review of the concept Michael H. Glantz Environmental and Social Impacts Group National Center for Atmospheric Research* Boulder, CO 80307, USA Nicolai Orlovsky Desert Research Institute Turkmen Academy of Sciences Ashkhabad, Turkmen SSR, USSR The following article will appear in the Encyclopedia of Climatology, J.E. Oliver and R. Fairbridge, eds., Hutchinson Ross Publishing Company, 1984 *The National Center for Atmospheric Research is operated by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and is sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The phenomenon known as desertification has received widespread attention recently, as witness the creation of the United Nations Conference on Desertification in Nairobi in 1977, mainly as a result of the impact of extended drought in the West African Sahel in the early 1970s. That drought caused loss of human lives and livestock and widespread environmental deterioration. Although a number of recent articles, papers and reports from many countries begin with comments on the role of the Sahelian drought in the growing interest in the desertification issue (e.g. Glantz, 1977; UN Secretariat, 1977; Quintanilla, 1981; Zonn, 1981), that drought was neither the first manifestation of the desertification phenomenon nor the only reason for scientific interest in it. In fact, A. Aubreville, a French scientist, popularized the term desertification in his report as long ago as 1949 (Aubreville, 1949), and others (e.g. Le Houerou, 1962) have discussed the phenomenon since the late 1950s.

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