Alnahdi 1

Mohammed Alnahdi

Dr. Rhonda Lemke Sanford

English 1108

9 November, 2015

Desertification

Desertification is one of the main environmental issues in more than one third countries

of the world. Desertification affects people health, economic conditions, social problems and

many other areas. Millions of human beings are suffering from the rapid increase in rate of

drought and damage of agricultural lands. Many scientists, institutions, and organizations

have tried to find a solution to control the causes of desertification to contain and eliminate

the problems. In order to get solutions scientists had to define desertification. This was the first

step for solving this problem.

The scientists came up with many general definitions, but they had two main ones.

One of the definitions of desertification is "a general process of surface environmental

degradation under the combined effect of natural and human actions, the essence of which is to

weaken or lose the ability of land to grow green plants" (Pan 916) that means the desertification

cause by human and natural factors. Dr. Habes A. Ghrefat from King Saud University,

Department of Geology and Geophysics has another definition: "Desertification is land

degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas and includes degradation of vegetation

cover, soil degradation, and nutrient depletion" (Murphy 133). This definition focused on

desertification results. All agree that desertification is not only defined by the expansion of the

desert and sand dunes, but also by the destruction of the soil, which makes it unsuitable for

agriculture.
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Desertification occurs by human actions, such as urbanization, deforestation, coal mining

and oil and gas drilling. The expansion of cities is one of the most important causes of

desertification in the Middle East and North Africa, where investors destroy the agricultural

areas to develop industrial or residential areas. Deforestation is also a major factor in

desertification in North China, Latin American and the Caribbean, Where the traders cut trees

and destroy forests to sale and export woods and timbers.

Cutting forests and overgrazing minimize the green spaces on the surface of the earth.

Louise Bracken in his article says, “Overgrazing and deforestation both result in removal of the

surface vegetation cover that protects the land from erosion. Once the protection has been

removed, bare areas are easily eroded. Since soils tend to be thin in dryland environments, even

small amounts of sediment removal can damage their productivity, resulting in land degradation”

(1). For this reason, United Nations has recommended on the convention to combat

desertification (UNCCD) to limit cutting down trees an deforestation.

Moreover, oil exploration and extraction of minerals including coal cause destruction of

green areas. The chemicals used in these exploration and extraction processes are often highly

concentration with saline which leads to soil damage. I worked in oil drilling rig for ten years. In

2008, I involved on drilling fifteen oil wells in of the largest farms in the Middle East. I came

back in 2013 for maintenance job on these wells and I was shocked when I found the farm turned

into barren desert.

Soil desertification and drought are two very evenly matched phenomena are appearing

and spreading in many countries, both developed and developing, affecting millions of people,

with disastrous consequences in the medium and long term on the natural environment and the

average socio-economic. In the message given by the Secretary General of the United Nations,
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Kofi Annan, on the occasion of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, it was said

that these "pose a serious threat to economic, environmental and socio-political implications

throughout the world". The causes of desertification and drought are several, each affecting a

greater or lesser extent depending on the characteristics of each area. Highlights include the

unsustainable exploitation of water resources, chemical pollution, soil salinization, aquifer

depletion, forest fires, inappropriate farming practices, loss of biodiversity of forests and soil,

etc.

Desertification also occurs by natural factors such as climate change, lack of rain,

drought, dry weather, and the proportional increase of salts in irrigation water. “The primary

reasons for desertification are overgrazing, over-cultivation, increased fire frequency, water

impoundment, deforestation, over drafting of groundwater, increased soil salinity, and global

climate change” (Williams 21). In the last thirty years, the earth has been exposed to a

significant increase in temperature which is causing a change in the vegetation of the earth.

The rising of the temperature leads to another reason for desertification, which is the lack

of rain. Rain water is the main source of water for wild plants and natural forests. The lack of

rain is leading to a decrease in plant habitation. The decrease in planet habitation is turning

previous vegetation into deserts. Louise Bracken states in his article "Drylands are characterized

by intense and sporadic rainfall and a delicate hydrological balance. Anything that upsets this

balance can lead to land degradation. Periods of drought cause both natural and agricultural

vegetation to die, leaving the soil exposed and vulnerable to erosion by wind during periods of

drought, and by the first rains following the dry period" (1).

The desert soil maintains its wetness for long periods after rain. As a result of the lack of

rain, the soil dries out and becomes unsuitable for plant growth. Therefore, the major cause of
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agricultural land damage is the salinity of irrigation water. It is known that water contains

different rates of salts because of the difference in water sources. Some farmers as a result of

ignorance or poverty use salty water to irrigate plants. This leads to the destruction of

agricultural lands, which become salty lands and are unsuitable for agriculture. “The main

factors of salinization are irrigation water quality, poor drainage, inadequate irrigation water

supplies, low rainfall, initial high soil salinity, adoption of poor soil, water and crop management

practices, and inadequate agricultural extension services to the farming community” (Murphy

135).

The Convention's main objective is to promote effective action through innovative local

programs and supportive international cooperation, establishing guidelines for combating

desertification and mitigating the effects of drought in countries experiencing serious drought or

desertification, particularly in Africa, by improving soil productivity, rehabilitation and

conservation and resource management of land and water resources in an integrated framework

consistent with Agenda 21 approach to contribute to achieving sustainable development in the

affected areas. It also emphasizes popular participation and the creation of conditions that will

help the local population to avoid degradation of self-sufficiently. On the other hand, assigns

NGOs a role unprecedented in the preparation and implementation of programs to prevent

desertification. The Convention recognizes that the battle to protect dry lands will be very long,

since the causes of desertification are many and complex, so will have to make real and difficult

changes, both internationally and locally.

The most effective measure is to prevent desertification through good planning on land

use locally including water resources management, planning less aggressive ranching and

farming, farming techniques fallow, type application suitable crops to soil conditions, forest
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management, etc. All these measures should also be supported by local policies. Besides all these

measures have to be maintained over time to ensure the sustainable management of resources.

Desertification was the first environmental problem to be considered global in nature. Its

recognition was formalized at the Conference on Desertification United Nations (UN) held in

Nairobi in 1977. Since then it has been in the hands of the Environment Program of the United

Nations (UNEP) coordinating a global effort to combat the problem on a global scale. Some

local measures are Restoration and fertilization of the earth. For example by applying fertilizers

will become humus and regenerates the soil with organic matter. Combating the effects of wind

building barriers and stabilized sand dunes with local plant species. Reforestation for fixing the

land that acts as upwind, help absorb water and soil fixation, besides being CO2 sinks that help

fight climate change. Sustainable agricultural practices such as conservation of biodiversity in

agriculture against monocultures, fallow techniques, and planting crops more suited to local

conditions.

Desertification has negative impacts on many factors of human life, such as the

environment, economy, social and health situations. In fact, the environmental impact of

desertification is considered a very serious consequence. The effects of desertification extend to

many factors that are difficult to treat. For example, the environmental consequences may

include loss of biodiversity, land degradation, low productivity, climate change, the provocation

of dust storms, and sand encroachment that threat the economic and social facilities. Dr. Habes

Ghrefat supports this claim in his research. He states, “Desertification causes a drop in biological

productivity of land which leads to a decline in economic productivity. It adversely affects the

lives of wild species, domestic animals, agricultural crops and people. Desertification can also
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initiate regional shifts in climate which may enhance climate change due to greenhouse gas

emissions" (Murphy 138).

As stated previously, desertification is not only an environmental issue. It also has an

economic impact. “Desertification and drought have severe impact on food security, livelihood,

socio-economic and cultural activities of the affected people. This has aggravated the food

situation in the area resulting in low-food security index. Drought causes a lot of economic

disruption” (Idris 695). As a result of damage to farms, the production of agricultural crops will

drop and affect industrials that relies on crops. This will lead to lower number of job

opportunities and a decline per capita income level. Indeed, governments will need to provide

additional expenses to combat desertification and to cover the shortfall. This economic decline

leads to many social problems, this includes poverty, and migration from villages and

countryside to the cities, and the consequences of urban problems such as the increase in city

population and increase crime rates.

In fact, causes of desertification and the degree of seriousness are different from one

region to another. This depends on causal factors, like whether desertification occurs because of

natural causes or caused by human activities. The United Nation organizations have estimated

that lands threatened by desertification involve about a third of the earth’s surface (Kjellen 147).

The continent most affected by desertification is Africa, with about 70% of its land mass being

desert (Murphy 138). Next in line comes Asia with 1.7 hectares of arid areas in different

countries. China comes first in terms of arid area with 2.67 million square kilometers. Iran comes

in the second place with 164.8 million hectares. Then Saudi Arabia which is almost desert with

98.5% arid land (Murphy 139).

Latin America, and the Caribbean.

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United States also suffer from desertification, especially in the western states. The United

States government did not pay enough attention for this problem until they ratified the United

Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in November 2000. United Nations

Report on Efforts to Mitigate Desertification in the Western United States was the first report for

desertification in United States. The report identified the affected area in United States of

America "the area within the U.S. that meets the arid, semi-arid, and dry sub humid includes the

17 western states. The Great Plains are the lands east of the Rocky Mountains where agriculture

is a predominant use of the land while the land between the major Western mountain ranges are

more adapted to livestock grazing, recreational use and extractive industries" (1). The report

indicated that the historical cause of desertification in the United States is overgrazing. Also, the

harmful emissions of human activities like carbon dioxide is one of the most dangerous causes of

the desertification in the United States. This emissions lead to change in the weather temperature

and drought.

Given the global nature of climate change and the need for international cooperation to

combat this phenomenon, it elaborated in 1996 the United Nations Convention to Combat

Desertification (UNCCD) symbolizing the consensus of developed and developing countries the

need for a global effort to combat desertification, which includes specific national commitments

for concrete action at local level. Given the global nature of climate change and the need for

international cooperation to combat this phenomenon, it elaborated in 1996 the United Nations

Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) symbolizing the consensus of developed and

developing countries the need for a global effort to combat desertification, which includes

specific national commitments for concrete action at local level.

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Spain is at the forefront of developed countries affected by desertification. One of the

main triggers for this situation is the erosion and loss of fertile soil. 42% of Spanish territory, 21

million hectares, is subject to erosion processes that exceed tolerable limits (soil losses of 12 tons

per hectare per year) and 12%, 6 million hectares, is subject to erosion very severe, with losses of

soil above 50 tonnes per hectare and year. For the whole state a total annual soil loss of 1,156

million tons is calculated. Taking into account that the rate of soil formation varies between 2

and 12 tonnes per hectare per year, it will be repaired in the magnitude of the problem. The most

affected areas are in Andalucía, Castilla-La Mancha, Valencia and Murcia.

Among the main factors triggering this situation they are the unsustainable exploitation of

water resources, leading to serious environmental damage, including chemical pollution,

salinization and exhaustion of aquifers. Vegetation cover losses due to frequent wildfires.

Concentration of economic activity in coastal areas as a result of urban growth, industrial

activities, mass tourism and irrigated agriculture.

Finally, desertification poses a threat to the world and to its inhabitants. We must stand

together to fight this phenomenon and raise awareness about how to avoid and control it. One

solution to eliminate desertification, which is caused by humans, is to prohibit any expansion of

villages. This will aid in saving the environment and help to eliminate the effects of

desertification. Also, governments should acknowledge the need to preserve the planet and

nature. Their first priority should be placing the factories and industrial plants away from cities

because the pollution can destroy the soil and cause desertification.

Desertification attacks human being more than soil because people cannot live without

food sources such as crops and animals. Brandon Bestelmeyer states “land degradation in arid

and semiarid regions of the globe-desertification-directly affects about 250 million people in the
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developing world through the loss of soil nutrients and reduction in the land's productivity, and

could potentially affect the 2.5 billion people who live in drylands worldwide” (237). As a result

of desertification, the agriculture will be destroyed by and animals cannot live without grass.

Many people’s lives depend on agriculture and livestock for food. Additionally, if the

desertification is caused by pollution, it will harm the people’s health too. Desertification is not a

problem of the soil itself alone, but involves many of the above mentioned factors which need to

be addressed.
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Work Citation

Bestelmeyer, Brandon T., et al. "Do changes in connectivity explain desertification?" BioScience

59.3 (2009): 237+. General OneFile. Web. 28 Oct. 2015

Bracken, Louise. "Desertification." Geography Review Mar. 2003: 38+. General OneFile. Web.

25 Oct. 2015.

Idris, Nasiru Medugu, M. Rafee Majid, and I. D. Choji. "A Comprehensive Approach to Drought

and Desertification in Nigeria." Management of Environmental Quality 19.6 (2008): 690-

704. ProQuest. Web. 26 Oct. 2015

Kjellén, Bo. "The Role of the Desertification Convention in the Early 21st Century: Facing the

Fundamentals of Human Existence." Environmental Policy and Law 40.4 (2010): 146-53.

ProQuest. Web. 22 Oct. 2015

Murphy, Jessica A.. “Earth Sciences in the 21st Century : Sand Dunes : Conservation, Types and

Desertification.” New York, NY, USA: Nova, 2011. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 28

September 2015.

Pan, Jinghu, and Tianyu Li. "Extracting Desertification from Landsat TM Imagery Based on

Spectral Mixture Analysis and Albedo-Vegetation Feature Space." Natural Hazards 68.2

(2013): 915-27. ProQuest. Web. 28 Sep. 2015

Peel, R. F. "Review of Land, Man, and Sand. Desertification and Its Solution" The Geographical

Journal 148.1 (1982): 95–95. Web. 27 Oct. 2015

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Peng, Yu, et al. "Potentials for Combating Desertification in Hunshandak Sandland through

Nature Reserve." Environmental management 35.4 (2005): 453-60. ProQuest. Web. 28

Sep. 2015.

Sepehr, A., and C. Zucca. "Ranking Desertification Indicators using TOPSIS Algorithm."

Natural Hazards 62.3 (2012): 1137-53. ProQuest. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.

Sheridan, David. “Desertification of the United States.” [Washington, D.C.?]: Council on

Environmental Quality , 1981

"United Nations Report on Efforts to Mitigate Desertification in the Western United States,

2006." U.s. Land and Natural Resources Policy: History, Debates, State Data, Maps,

Primary Documents. GreyHousePublishing. Amenia: Grey House Publishing, 2012.

Credo Reference. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.

Williams, Vereda Johnson. "A Case Study of Desertification in Haiti." Journal of Sustainable

Development 4.3 (2011): 20-31. ProQuest. Web. 29 Oct. 2015