what are the causes of desertification

Deforestation Image source: Wikimedia commons. These crops were not only conducive to Marathwada's arid climate but were drought-resistant and led to moisture harvesting. Drylands that suffer from water . Many things can cause desertification. Desertification In The Sahel Introduction You read in the chapter on Land Degradation that: Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas. The main causes of desertification include . Plants . One . Causes of Desertification. Desertification is the process of land turning into desert as the quality of the soil declines over time. Natural Causes of desertification Drought is one of the major natural causes of desertification in the drylands. Irrigation can cause environmental problems such as waterlogging, salinization, water pollution, eutrophication, and excessive groundwater use. Overgrazing; Over cultivation; Drought; Deforestation; Drought: A long period without rainfall and causes crops to die. It is thus a temporary aberration, unlike aridity which is a permanent feature of the climate. Other factors that cause desertification include urbanization, climate change, overuse of groundwater, deforestation, natural disasters, and tillage practices in agriculture that make soils more vulnerable to wind. According to data published by the Ministry of Environment in1998, 40% of Pakistan's territory is dry or semi-arid. In this lesson, we will explain how climate change, population growth and the removal of fuel wood can cause desertification. There is lack of food and people move from one place to another to find food. As the effects of climate change undermine livelihoods, inter-ethnic clashes are breaking out within and across states and fragile states are turning to militarization to control the situation. There are a number of reasons which cause desertification in an area. According to Mr. Luc Gnacadja, executive secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, "Land degradation is a global phenomenon, with 78 percent of the degrading land taking place in … It is a misconception that droughts cause desertification. While drought is often associated with land degradation, it is a natural phenomenon that occurs when . History is not a stranger to land degradation, however, the world today faces degradation at a rate 30 to 35 times faster than historical records. Desertification show impacts on topsoil, water reserves, economy, etc. Causes of desertification in Marathwada. 2.2. The emission of greenhouse gases is one of the main causes of global warming. What are the natural causes of desertification? Desertification directly threatens the rich diversity of flora and fauna found in dryland ecosystems.12 Due to pollution the temperature has been raised and the soil became infertile. Overgrazing: When there are too many animals graze on the same land and new vegetation fails to . Desertification is the persistent degradation of dryland ecosystems by variations in climate and human activities. Millions of people will likely lose their livelihood and will have to migrate . Another definition of desertification is the Human hands or natural occurrences can exacerbate or spark desertification. Changes in Cropping pattern: The crop pattern in the region had drastically changed over the past decades. 2.2. ­The Dust Bowl is a perfect example of desertification, the degradation of dryland ecosystems through a combination of natural and human causes. It is also a normal, recurrent feature of . Physical Causes of Desertification. Plants . Besides human activity, extreme weather such as droughts and excessive heat can attribute to the cause of desertification. Drought is normally considered as a consequence of natural reduction in the amount of precipitation received over an extended period of time. CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF DESERTIFICATION IN THE SAHEL The Sahel, a semiarid grassland, runs along the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. Human hands or natural occurrences can exacerbate or spark desertification. Seventy percent of the world's dry-lands (excluding hyper-arid deserts), or some 3,600 million hectares, are degraded. If the nutrient-rich top soil blows or washes away, plants may not be able to return. The following are some of the primary causes of desertification in our world. The lack of plants can cause changes to the land. Causes of . The . Desertification is a big global problem, which will become even worse due to the effects of global warming. Desertification is a big global problem, which will become even worse due to the effects of global warming. 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 . This band of dry land extends across the African continent from Senegal in the west to Sudan in the east. What is desertification: It is the term used to describe the changing of semi arid (dry) areas into desert. The Causes of Desertification Desertification is caused by a number of different issues. Desertification, also called 'desertization' occurs through a combination of human and natural processes which causes a reduction in productivity of the dryland (a dry region). It is the spread of arid areas caused by a variety of factors, such as climate change (particularly the current global warming) and overexploitation of soil as a result of human activity. Subject: Geography. CAUSES OF DESERTIFICATION. But the major causes behind it are often variations in climate and intrusive man-made activities. As population increases they increase the numbers of animals they keep, such as goats, which eat more vegetation. The causes of desertification are due to a multitude of factors, including climate change, human misuse of land and natural disasters . Desertification is the process by which fertile land becomes a desert due to natural or human-made causes. 8. It is severe in Sudan, Chad, Senegal and Burkina Faso. Sometimes the two can combine and natural processes of desertification that are already underway can be accelerated and made worse by humans. In simplest of terms; desertification is defined as the loss of trees and shrubs, leaving the land barren. Desertification . The lack of plants can cause changes to the land. Some causes of desertification are natural, whilst others are human derived. Overexploitation of natural resources as a consequence, for example, of irresponsible . The causes of desertification. Causes of Desertification • There are 4 main factors in desertification . Desertification can be reduced by adopting the following strategies: Planting more trees - the roots of trees hold the soil together and help to reduce soil erosion from wind and rain. Aridity suppresses crop production. Solutions for Desertification • Rising awareness of the . This has been a cause of great international concern as almost half of the Earth's ice-free surface — around 52 million square . To put it plainly, desertification causes land to no longer be able to support the same plant life as it did before. Considerable debate surrounds the speed, nature, and causes of desertification, but it undoubtedly has a series of health implications. Unprotected, dry, and infertile land can erode by strong wind and floods. Desertification is the process of land turning into desert as the quality of the soil declines over time. Age range: 14-16. Desertification is a silent, invisible crisis that is destabilizing communities on a global scale. Desertification: Causes, Effects & Solutions. Desertification does not refer to the expansion of existing deserts. Additional Resources If you are looking to buy affordable land, you can check out our Listings page. Causes of Desertification Overgrazing. Desertification Hot deserts are an important ecosystem with distinct characteristics and adaptations. Desertification: Causes, Effects & Solutions. Desertification results in continued degradation of land and of fragile ecosystems. What are the causes of desertification? Geography teacher of 8 years. The young person should focus on the cause and effect . Hot Deserts - Lesson 8 - Causes of desertification - AQA GCSE. The increase in temperature of the planet decreases humidity, increases drought, and produces desertification. It was not the first time that the Sahel had been ravaged by a drought. Various Causes of Desertification 1. 4.609375 314 reviews. Many countries around the world suffer from the problems caused by desertification but it . Over Cultivation. It occurs because of man-made activities and climate change. However, previous research generally focused on either meteorological . With the establishment of the Soil Conservation Service after the damaging 1930s dust bowl, the U.S. recognized desertification as a national problem and the . It is caused primarily by human activities and climatic variations. Farming practice Water scarcity in dry lands limits the production of wood, crops, forage and other services that ecosystems provide to our community. Desertification. It is caused primarily by human activities and climatic variations. Climatic variations: Climate change, drought, moisture loss on a global level Human activities: These include overgrazing, deforestation and removal of the natural vegetation cover ¢ by taking too much fuel wood £, agricultural activities in the vulnerable ecosystems of arid and semi-arid areas, which are thus strained beyond their capacity. All of these effects can hurt people living near an affected region. The most commonly cited forms of unsustainable land use are over-cultivation, over-grazing, deforestation, and poor irrigation practices. What causes desertification? Drought, overgrazing, fire, and deforestation can thin out vegetation, leaving exposed soil. When this grass is exploited by livestock, the soil loses its support and blows away with the wind. Desertification is caused by a combination of factors that change over time and vary by location. The student who wants to analyze the problem on desertification should learn about the problem more and study all the aspects of the issue. Causes of Desertification. If you are looking to . Not only the industries pollute air, water and land, the noise produced by the industries have impacts on wildlife which . Land degradation by human or natural causes is prone to the following effects. Some of the reasons have been listed below: 1. 1 review. The leading causes of land degradation in Jordan are improper farming practices (such as failure to use contour plowing or overcultivation of the land), overgrazing, the conversion of rangelands to croplands in the marginal areas, where rainfall is not enough to support crops in the long term, and uncontrolled expansion of urban and rural . Desertification is the result of complex interactions among various factors, including climate change and human activities. It usually affects dry areas on the edge of deserts, eg The Sahel, south of the Sahara Desert in . Rozzas's Shop. Another definition of desertification is the The causes of desertification are both natural and man-made. One . Humans are driving the transformation of drylands into desert on an unprecedented scale around the world, with serious consequences. Desertification is a process of degradation of the land. While desertification is a serious issue, the world can combat this phenomenon by understanding the causes of desertification and implementing actions that will help regenerate arable land. This can happen naturally due to a drought or can be caused by human activities. The Sahel has little land for farming, as the soil is not naturally fertile, and there is little rainfall during most of the year. The vast majority of desertification in the present day is caused by harmful human activity. Overgrazing. 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. 1. Desertification is caused by a number of different issues. Rising Temperatures: As global temperatures increase it is becoming increasingly hard for vegetation to grow thus reducing vegetation cover and increasing the risk of wind and water erosion. To put it plainly, desertification causes land to no longer be able to support the same plant life as it did before. The continuous over-exploitation of the vegetative cover by grazing animals, has led to an increase in desertification. Desertification is an environmental challenge facing certain areas of the world today, it is the destruction of land where land has become arid and barren, and therefore vegetation growth becomes impossible due to the lack of nutrients and water in the soil. In addition to affecting human, plant, and animal populations, desertification also negatively impacts groundwater reserves, topsoil, and surface runoff. People near Affected Areas Desertification can cause flooding, poor water quality, dust storms, and pollution. Desertification is the degradation process by which a fertile land changes itself into a desert by losing its flora and fauna, this can be caused by drought, deforestation, climate change, human activities or improper agriculture. Earlier, the main crops cultivated here used to be cereal and oilseeds. The CLIMBER-2 models showed that feedbacks within the climate and vegetation systems were the major cause of Saharan desertification, building rapidly upon the effects of the initial orbital . Here are five of the main causes of desertification . The main human activities driving desertification are: Deforestation, causes of which go beyond tree felling, which increases the risk of fires, among others. In areas of low precipitation, like Sub-Saharan Africa, long droughts that turn arid land to unproductive, barren soil are a frequent cause of desertification. Desertification has been defined as land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities[11]. As a result of a combination of poor farming . The Causes of Desertification. United Nations predicts that within the next 10 years . The effects of desertification are increasingly felt globally as victims turn into refugees, internally . Overgrazing is the major cause of desertification worldwide. Studies have shown that, in many environments, the rate of erosion and runoff decreases exponentially with increased vegetation cover. Droughts are common in arid and semiarid lands. Overgrazing, which has led to wind and water erosion, and poor irrigation are the leading causes of desertification in the U.S., and scientists believe it's unlikely these areas will mend naturally from the damage in the next 100 years. Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas. But now, the predominant crops here are soybean . Desertification can be defined as land degradation implying the loss of biological productivity due to the development of land into an arid desert-like environment. The soil becomes exhausted with no break in between crops so . As previously mentioned, vegetation and trees are the main preventers of soil erosion and depletion of nutrients. Well-managed lands can recover from drought when the rains return. Drought alters just . Categories Of Desertification: Causes of desertification: Four main factors cause desertification. It is caused by a mixture of climate change and the issues raised by population pressure. By 1973, the drought that began in 1968 in the Sahel of West Africa and the land-use practices there had caused the deaths of more than 100,000 . the main cause behind desertification and causes loss of biodiversity to a great extent. What are the 3 main causes of desertification in Africa? History is not a stranger to land degradation, however, the world today faces degradation at a rate 30 to 35 times faster than historical records. In China, nearly 20% of land area is desert. What Causes Desertification? Each year, desertification and drought account for US$42 billion loss in food productivity worldwide. Pupils Will Learn. The natural vegetation . Drought, rain pat-terns, increasing global temperatures and climate change contribute to the drying out of already arid lands, but these areas are also extremely sensitive to human activity. But over the millennia, these fragile ecosystems have discovered ways to survive. Droughts are an unavoidable occurrence in semi-arid regions like the Western United States, large portions of sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia and Latin America. The major factors responsible for desertification are deforestation, over-grazing, unsustainable cultivation methods and poor irrigation practices, apart from climate change. Across the world, desertification affects the livelihoods of millions of people who rely on the benefits that dryland ecosystems can provide. Desertification is the process by which land becomes drier and degraded, as a result of climate change or human activities, or both. The causes of desertification. On the whole, irrigation has had a strong impact on inland waters , causing a decline in biodiversity and further desertification . These . Resource type: Lesson (complete) 5. Considerable debate surrounds the speed, nature, and causes of desertification, but it undoubtedly has a series of health implications. They also farm the land more . : Causes and Impacts of Land Degradation and Desertification: Case Study of the Sudan . Desertification occurs due to a decrease in vegetation. Desertification has been defined as land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities[11]. And before you buy land, make sure you check out Gokce Land Due Diligence Program. The root cause of desertification is the reduction of . Continued land abuse during droughts, however, increases land degradation. Lands turn to desert due to a number of reasons, but much of the desertification that is occurring around the world today is caused by human activity on lands that are extremely vulnerable to overexploitation and improper agricultural methods. Causes of Desertification: Deforestation: The most important cause is the loss of vegetation. Animal grazing is a huge problem for many areas that are starting to become desert biomes. What causes desertification in South Africa? Vegetation plays a major role in determining the biological composition of the soil. Home to a third of the human population in 2000, drylands occupy nearly half of Earth's land area. Desertification is defined as a process of the environmental deterioration caused by climate and human actions that includes the development or extension of desert-like conditions in a fruitful area. Desertification is caused by a number of different issues. The former includes factors such as deforestation, overgrazing of livestock, over-cultivation of crops and inappropriate irrigation; the latter includes natural fluctuations in climate and global warming as a result of human-caused . Desertification, the spread of desertlike conditions as a result of a combination of climatic fluctuations and human impacts, is a form of land degradation that occurs in and around the world's drylands. If there are too many animals that are overgrazing in certain spots, it makes it difficult for the plants to grow back, which hurts the biome and makes it lose its former green glory.. 2. This has been a cause of great international concern as almost half of the Earth's ice-free surface — around 52 million square . Desertification can be defined as land degradation implying the loss of biological productivity due to a development of land into an arid desert-like environment. Desertification . Desertification is the gradual transformation of arable and habitable land into desert, usually caused by climate change and/or the improper use of land. The process is natural, but the human causes of desertification have vastly outpaced its natural speed.

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