Desertification epik.com is your authoritative resource for information about desertification http://desertification.epik.com/
Extractions: Signup Sign in Desertification Desertification Desertification is the degradation of land in arid and dry sub-humid areas due to various factors: including climatic variations and human activities. Desertification results chiefly from man-made activities : it is principally caused by overgrazing, overdrafting of groundwater and diversion of water from rivers for human consumption and industrial use, all of these processes are fundamentally driven by overpopulation. Name: Desertification
Desertification The FAO Web site on desertification aims to assist national, regional and international stakeholders and networks involved in sustainable development of drylands and in particular http://www.fao.org/desertification/default.asp?lang=en
Extractions: Global climate maps Organic agriculture Integrated coastal area management Biodiversity in agriculture ... Sea-level rise and agriculture 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 sub-humid dry areas caused by climatic changes and human activities. It is accompanied by a reduction in the natural potential of the land and a depletion in surface and ground-water resources. But above all it has negative repercussions on the living conditions and the economic development of the people affected by it. Desertification not only occurs in natural deserts, but can also take place on land which is prone to desertification processes. Desertification is a world-wide phenomenon which causes the earth's ecosystems to deteriorate. It affects about two-thirds of the countries of the world, and one-third of the earth's surface, on which one billion people live, namely, one-fifth of the world population. The vulnerability of land to desertification is mainly due to the climate, the relief, the state of the soil and the natural vegetation, and the ways in which these two resources are used. Climate affects soil erosion and the chemical and biological deterioration of the soil. The state of the soil (texture, structure and chemical and biological properties) is a major factor, particularly in the sub-humid zones where the influence of climatic factors is less marked. It plays an essential role in causing vulnerability to desertification caused by human activities.
DEFORESTATION AND DESERTIFICATION IN CHINA - China | Facts And Details DEFORESTATION AND desertification IN CHINA. Deforestation in Yunnan Currently around 14 percent of China is covered by forests. Most of these are in the northern, southern and http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=389&catid=10&subcatid=66
Extractions: Creating a future that works Search this site: About Photos Tutorials Books ... Home Links to approaches that work with the ecosystem; success stories from around the world. Most "cures" for damaged land make the problem worse as the world's advancing deserts tell us. By imitating how nature functions when healthy , holistic managers around the world are producing rapid recoveries of damaged land. Allan Savory Continuous grazing in the surrounding area caused this river to dry up. Same day, same area: managed grazing is restoring this river's health. Article by Allan Savory. Animal impact: how trampling benefits grassland ecosystems by Wilma Keppel. Grasslands are adapted to grazing and trampling. Without it, they suffer environmental damage. Photos. How can grazing heal land? Learn how grazers maintain grasslands in nature, and how people can harness the same forces to heal damaged land. A short introduction with photos.
Desertification | Define Desertification At Dictionary.com –noun Ecology . 1. the processes by which an area becomes a desert. 2. the rapid depletion of plant life and the loss of topsoil at desert boundaries and in semiarid regions http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/desertification
Extractions: This is the Internet portal to the Financial Information Engine on Land Degradation (FIELD), a dynamic knowledge management system for searching, sharing and harnessing information related to sustainable land management financing. more Interactive Map more Get a sneak preview of what is available in the FIELD database by entering a keyword, country or topic of interest. more Keyword: Country: •Countries •Afghanistan •Albania •Algeria •American Samoa •Andorra •Angola •Anguilla •Antigua and Barbuda •Argentina •Armenia •Aruba •Australia •Austria •Azerbaijan •Bahamas •Bahrain •Bangladesh •Barbados •Belarus •Belgium •Belize •Benin •Bermuda •Bhutan •Bolivia •Bosnia and Herzegovina •Botswana •Bouvet Island •Brazil •British Indian Ocean Territory •British Virgin Islands •Brunei Darussalam •Bulgaria •Burkina Faso •Burundi •Cambodia •Cameroon •Canada •Cape Verde •Cayman Islands •Central African Republic •Chad •Chile •China •Christmas Island •Cocos (Keeling) Islands •Colombia •Comoros •Congo •Congo, DROC
IALC Internet links to sites related to desertification, maintained by University of Arizona. http://ag.arizona.edu/OALS/IALC/links/desert.html
Extractions: In March 97 this internationally sponsored meeting, held in Israel, focused on identifying "mechanisms and processes which effectively can promote synergies among many of the measures suggested by the instruments individually." Defending Against DroughtNatural Resources Conservation Service With good planning, good management, and good information, farms and ranches can reduce the impacts of drought. The Department of Agriculture's Joint Agricultural Weather Facility and the Natural Resources Conservation Service's (NRCS), National Water and Climate Center, along with the U.S. Departments of Commerce and Interior, and the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) at University of Nebraska, Lincoln, helps people prepare for and deal with drought. UNEP Programme on Success Stories in Land Degradation/ Desertification Control
Desertification desertification is the process which turns productive into non productive desert as a result of poor land-management. http://www.botany.uwc.ac.za/EnvFacts/facts/desertification.htm
Extractions: 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.
Extractions: The CCD, Part I: Africa and the Mediterranean Web resources on desertification Compiled and annotated by Katherine Waser "The successful implementation of the Convention would make a significant contribution to solving some of our most pressing problems, including food security, water conservation, drought emergency management, poverty reduction, and migration." Mr. Hama Arba Diallo Executive Secretary, Interim Secretariat for the CCD speaking at the FAO World Food Summit , November 1996. [Ed. note: links last checked March 2000] This list covers World Wide Web resources on: The list is not intended to be exhaustive; rather, the focus is on sites that house original content and/or data, directory sites with so many good links they simply must be included, and sites that struck me as being particularly in line with the aims and provisions of the CCD. [Please note also that I have added "Further Web Resources" links to the end of an individual article, in those cases where the link in question seemed more applicable to that particular article than to this overall list.]
Desertification Resources At Erratic Impact's Philosophy Research Base desertification resources at Erratic Impact's Philosophy Research Base. Resources including annotated links, book reviews, new and used books about desertification, the UNEP http://www.erraticimpact.com/~ecologic/html/desertification.htm
Extractions: The Last Ranch : A Colorado Community and the Coming Desert (Harvest Book) by Sam Bingham. Colorado's San Luis Valley is a land of broad, expansive range ringed by massive mountains that is visited only rarely by rain, about eight inches a year. It is also a place where a small enclave of ranchers struggle to make a living, fighting not only the elements but a host of forcespolitics, the pressures of modern culture and technology, the marketplacethat conspire to put an end to their generations-old community. For a year beginning in 1992, naturalist and magazine writer Sam Bingham lived in the valley. In The Last Ranch he brings to life both the people of the valley and a flock of international characters who have targeted the San Luis Valley for exploitation. At the center of the story are Donnie and Karen Whitten, high school sweethearts who live in a doublewide trailer with their three children, and who come to symbolize the tenacity of the residents of the valley as they endure against very long odds.
Extractions: a Consequence of Poverty World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought UN SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN / Press Release 12jun03 [Also see other important health issues by Paul Goettlich Following is the message by Secretary-General Kofi Annan for the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, 17 June 2003: Desertification and drought pose an ever-increasing global threat. Human activities such as overcultivation, overgrazing, deforestation and poor irrigation practices, along with climate change, are turning once fertile soils into unproductive and barren patches of land. Arable land per person is shrinking throughout the world, threatening food security, particularly in poor rural areas, and triggering humanitarian and economic crises. All parts of the world are affected. Last year’s drought in Australia was the worst in more than a century, during which millions of tons of productive topsoil blew away in dust storms, crippling crop production and exports. Every year in India, dry spells and deforestation turn 2.5 million hectares into wasteland, while elsewhere in Asia sandstorms are becoming a growing threat to the economy and the environment. Some 70 per cent of all land in Mexico is vulnerable to desertification, prompting 700,000 to 900,000 Mexicans to leave their homes every year in search of a better living as migrant workers in the United States. But nowhere is the problem of desertification more acute than in sub-Saharan Africa, where the number of environmental refugees is expected to rise to 25 millions in the next 20 years.
Desertification Presentday Drylands and Their Categories (dry subhumid, semiarid, arid or hyper-arid, based on Aridity Index values. (Source Millennium Ecosystem Assessment desertification http://www.eoearth.org/article/Desertification
4. What Are The Major Causes Of Desertification? 4. What are the major causes of desertification? 4.1 What social, economic, and policy factors can contribute to desertification? 4.2 Does globalization play a role in desertification? http://www.greenfacts.org/en/desertification/l-3/4-causes-desertification.htm
Extractions: Previous Question Level 3 Questions Next Question ... Next Sub-Question The source document for this Digest states: Desertification is caused by a combination of factors that change over time and vary by location. These include indirect factors such as population pressure, socioeconomic and policy factors, and international trade as well as direct factors such as land use patterns and practices and climate-related processes. Desertification is taking place due to indirect factors driving unsustainable use of scarce natural resources by local land users. This situation may be further exacerbated by global climate change . Desertification is considered to be the result of management approaches adopted by land users, who are unable to respond adequately to indirect factors like population pressure and
Land Degradation And Desertification | NRCS Soils International Union of Soil Sciences working group site offers conference reports, technical papers and links to other organizations. http://soils.usda.gov/use/worldsoils/landdeg/
Extractions: Soils Home About Us Soil Survey Soil Use ... Contact Us Search Soils All NRCS Sites for Last Modified: AGENDA 21 of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development emphasizes the need and proposes a wide range of activities to address land degradation in general and desertification in particular. As a response to this challenge, more than 100 countries have signed the Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD) in 1997. A key point of the CCD deals with scientific and technical cooperation on investigation, collection, evaluation of the processes and factors involved in land degradation leading to desertification. At the conclusion of the Conference on Land Degradation at Adana, an International Task Force on Land Degradation, to be formed under the auspices of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS), was proposed and unanimously adopted. Plato: Attica (Athens) was no longer cultivated by true herdsmen, who made husbandry their business, and were lovers of honor, and of a noble nature. As a result Attica had become deforested, the soils depleted, and there are remaining only the bones of the wasted body –all the richer and softer parts of the soil having fallen away.
Desertification Biogeography of the Earth. desertification. desertification is the expansion of dry lands due to poor agricultural practices (e.g. overgrazing, degradation of soil http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/geog101/textbook/biogeography/desertifica
Extractions: Contents Glossary Atlas ... Biogeography of the Earth Desertification Desertification is the expansion of dry lands due to poor agricultural practices (e.g. overgrazing, degradation of soil fertility and structure), improper soil moisture management, salinization and erosion, forest removal, and climate change. BE.43 Desertification in Africa Courtesy FAO Two common misconceptions prevail about desertification, that it spreads from a desert core and drought is responsible. Desertification spreads outward from any where excessive abuse of the land occurs and far from any climatic desert. Droughts do increase the possibility of desertification if the carrying capacity of non-irrigated land is exceeded. Well-managed land can recover from the effects of drought. Combining drought with land abuse sets the stage for desertification. Cause of Desertification Desertification comes about by a complex interaction between the natural environment and human activities. The cause may vary from region to region on account of economic conditions, population pressure, agricultural practices, and politics. Human activities that destroys surface vegetation, degrades soil structure and fertility, impedes water infiltration, and causes soil drying promotes desertification. This is especially true for the fragile transition zone between arid and semiarid land where human activity has stretched the ecosystem to its limit causing expansion of deserts.
DESERTIFICATION OF ARID LANDS Research paper about goes into detail about desertification. http://www.ciesin.org/docs/002-193/002-193.html
Extractions: Reproduced, with permission, from: Dregne, H. E. 1986. Desertification of arid lands. In Physics of desertification, ed. F. El-Baz and M. H. A. Hassan. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Martinus, Nijhoff. ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION Desertification of the arid lands of the world has been proceedingsometimes rapidly, sometimes slowlyfor more than a thousand years. It has caused untold misery among those most directly affected, yet environmental destruction continues. Until recently, few if any lessons seemed to have been learned from the past, in part because the problem was an insidious one that went unrecognized in its early stages or was seen as a local one affecting only a small population, and in part because new land was always available to start over again. As long as remedial action could be deferred by moving on to new frontiers, land conservation had little appeal. It was not until the 20th centurywhen easy land expansion came to an endthat governments and people finally realized that continued careless degradation of natural resources threatened their future. INTERNATIONAL DIRECTIONS The decade of the 1950's witnessed the first worldwide effort to call attention to the problems and potentials of arid regions. It started when the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) launched its Major Project on Scientific Research on Arid Lands in 1951. That project led to publication of a newsletter, the provision for funds for establishing and strengthening arid land research institutes, organization of conferences and symposia, and publication of a series of research reviews and special reports on a wide range of topics. The Major Project was terminated in 1962 and the arid land program was merged with the broader UNESCO natural resource program.