ENQUIRY 4: FROM

SHANGOMBO TO
SOUTH TAVY HEAD
 The story of desertification
About 40 per cent of the earth's land surface is occupied by
drylands and nearly three-quarters of these arid areas are found
in less economically developed countries (LEDCs). Within the
drylands of the world, desertification is becoming an ever
increasing problem, which has serious worldwide implications.
 The story of desertification
● Desertification is a process of land degradation in which
fertile land is transformed into desert and relatively dry areas
become increasingly arid. Areas of water are lost along with
vegetation cover and wildlife.
● The regions most vulnerable to desertification are generally
found on the fringes of the world's major deserts in western
USA, western South America, the margins of the Sahara in
Africa, western central Asia and the areas on the periphery of
Australia's arid interior.
 Causes of desertification
● The removal of vegetation is the immediate cause of
desertification.
● This is due to a number of factors. Drylands are inhabited by
more than 2 billion people.
● Over the last 30 years the requirement to feed the
increasing population has led to an urgent need to produce
more food.
● This pressure to increase food production has often resulted
in serious environmental damage due to the overgrazing of
animals and the over cultivation of land.
 Causes of desertification
● The depletion of groundwater due to overuse and
deforestation to provide wood for fuel and building
materials has led to further land degradation.
 Climate Change
● Climate change has led to a drier climate in some parts of
the world. Some dryland regions have suffered periods of
frequent and prolonged drought in recent times, resulting in
the death of animals and crop failure.

● These factors all help to expose dry, unprotected soil to

wind and flash floods. The fertile top layer of soil is blown or
washed away, leaving infertile lower layers to become
unproductive in the baking sun.
 Measures to prevent desertification
1. Soil conservation -

Maintain soil fertility by avoiding over cultivation and

monoculture. Use animal manure on the soil rather than as
fuel. Mulch the soil to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
Terrace sloping farmland to prevent soil being washed off.
Construct fencing to protect the soil.
 Measures to prevent desertification
2. Vegetation cover -

Use alternative fuels such as kerosene rather than firewood

to avoid deforestation. Plant trees and hedges to protect
against wind erosion and provide livestock with fodder.
 Measures to prevent desertification
3. Water sources -

Supplement rainwater by drilling boreholes and constructing

wells to provide water. Increase the number of ponds to
provide water in the dry season. Reuse treated water. Use
seawater on salt-tolerant plants.
 Measures to prevent desertification
4. Education -

Increase awareness of the dangers of desertification through

education programmes. Teach people how to tackle
problems and learn techniques from indigenous people who
have adapted to the harsh environment.
 Measures to prevent desertification
5. Family planning -

In the long-term, reduce population growth by developing

family planning programmes, with the aim of restoring a
balance between population and resources.
4.1 WHAT IS THE GEOGRAPHY
OF SHANGOMBO LIKE?
 Where is Shangombo?

Shangombo is located in the region of Western. Western's

capital Mongu (Mongu) is approximately 163 km / 101 mi
away from Shangombo (as the crow flies). The distance from
Shangombo to Zambia's capital Lusaka (Lusaka) is
approximately 672 km / 417 mi (as the crow flies).
 4.2 HOW IS THE
ENVIRONMENT A
CONSTRAINT TO LIVING IN
SHANGOMBO?
 Desertification constitutes major crisis in
Shangombo

Shangombo is located in the region of Western. Western's

capital Mongu (Mongu) is approximately 163 km / 101 mi
away from Shangombo (as the crow flies). The distance from
Shangombo to Zambia's capital Lusaka (Lusaka) is
approximately 672 km / 417 mi (as the crow flies).

Zambia - Shangombo Rivungo Canal Project (Border Post)

4.3 WHY ARE THE WORLD’S
DRYLANDS SO IMPORTANT?
 What are drylands and why are they important?

● Present in each continent and covering over 40 per cent of

the earth, drylands generally refer to arid, semi-arid and dry
sub-humid areas, and are home to more than 2 billion
people, or one in three people in the world.
● Drylands are key to global food and nutrition security for the
whole planet, with up to 44 per cent of the world’s
cultivated systems located in drylands.
 What are drylands and why are they important?

● Drylands also support important ecosystems ranging from

rangelands and grasslands to semi-desert, and host 1.1
billion hectares of forest – more than a quarter of the
world’s forest area.
● Contain a great variety of biodiversity, with many animal and
plant species and habitats found only in drylands and playing
a vital role in the livelihoods of many dryland inhabitants
(IUCN, 2012).
 PROBLEMS OF DRYLANDS

● Drylands are under threat across the world. Despite their

importance, drylands are being degraded through a complex
combination of climatic (e.g. decreasing rainfall and
evaporation of water) and human stresses, such as
unsustainable farming techniques, mining and overgrazing.

● Water scarcity is increasing, and in many areas,

desertification is expanding with serious human and
environmental consequences.
● Drylands (orange on the map) are defined as
regions where the aridity index (ratio of annual
precipitation to potential evapotranspiration) is
below 0.65.

● Precipitation is any liquid or frozen water that

forms in the atmosphere and falls back to the
Earth. It comes in many forms, like rain, sleet, and
snow.
● Precipitation forms in the clouds when water vapor
condenses into bigger and bigger droplets of water.
When the drops are heavy enough, they fall to the
Earth. If a cloud is colder, like it would be at higher
altitudes, the water droplets may freeze to form ice.

● These ice crystals then fall to the Earth as snow, hail, or

rain, depending on the temperature within the cloud
and at the Earth’s surface. Most rain actually begins as
snow high in the clouds. As the snowflakes fall through
warmer air, they become raindrops.
 4.4 WHY DOES
DESERTIFICATION PRESENT
THE WORLD WITH SUCH A
CHALLENGE?
 Desertification

● As global temperatures rise and the human population

expands, more of the planet is vulnerable to desertification,
the permanent degradation of land that was once arable.
● the concern centers on human-caused land degradation in
areas with low or variable rainfall known as drylands: arid,
semi-arid, and sub-humid lands.
● These drylands account for more than 40 percent of the
world's terrestrial surface area.
 Reasons

● This degradation tends to be driven by a number of factors,

including urbanization, mining, farming, and ranching. In the
course of these activities, trees and other vegetation are
cleared away, animal hooves pound the dirt, and crops
deplete nutrients in the soil.
● Climate change also plays a significant role, increasing the
risk of drought.
 Reasons

Desertification - A Visual Disaster

Desertification - What Are The Causes of Desertification? -

GCSE Geography

Desertification [English]
 Causes of desertification

● Human activities that contribute to desertification include

the expansion and intensive use of agricultural lands, poor
irrigation practices, deforestation, and overgrazing.
● These unsustainable land uses place enormous pressure on
the land by altering its soil chemistry and hydrology.
 Nomadic Lifestyle

● Nomadic people, also known as nomads, are communities of

people that move from one place to another, rather than
settling down in one location.
● Nomadism is distinguished from migration, which involves a
major and permanent move from one location to another.
 Nomadic Lifestyle

● Increased population and livestock pressure on marginal

lands has accelerated desertification. In some areas, nomads
moving to less arid areas disrupt the local ecosystem and
increase the rate of erosion of the land.
● Nomads are trying to escape the desert, but because of their
land-use practices, they are bringing the desert with them.
Desertification - BBC BITESIZE
 4.5 HOW ARE COUNTRIES
AROUND THE WORLD
RESTORING DEGRADED LAND
AND COMBATTING
DESERTIFICATION?
 Strategies to reduce desertification
Prevention is much more cost-effective than rehabilitation.
Desertification can be reduced by adopting the following
strategies:

1. Planting more trees - the roots of trees hold the soil

together and help to reduce soil erosion from wind and rain.
 Strategies to reduce desertification
2. Improving the quality of the soil -
● This can be managed by encouraging people to reduce the
number of grazing animals they have and grow crops
instead.
● The animal manure can be used to fertilise the crops grown.
● Growing crops in this way can improve the quality of the soil
as it is held together by the roots of plants and protected
from erosion. This type of farming is more sustainable.
 Strategies to reduce desertification
3. Water management - water can be stored in earth dams in
the wet season and used to irrigate crops during the dry season.
This is an example of using appropriate technology to manage
water supplies in the desert environment.

4. Magic stones (or bunds) are circles of stones placed on the

ground to hold water on the soil rather than letting it run
quickly over the surface.
 Strategies to reduce desertification
5. Drip irrigation is where water drips slowly onto the ground
from pin-sized holes in a hose lying on top of the soil. This
minimises water loss, maximises effectiveness and can be
delivered via a solar pump.
 What happened to Aral Sea?
● The Aral sea region, which was, according to historical
documents, inhabited by desert nomads and used to support
a booming fishing industry in the region.
● In the 20th century, the Aral Sea was reported to be the
world’s fourth-largest inland water body with an
approximate area of 68 000 sq.km. Moreover, the rivers that
fed the lake also offered water to nearby towns, giving birth
to the historic Silk Route.
Aral Sea: Man-made environmental disaster -
BBC News
 What happened to Aral Sea?
● The increase of the agricultural land to further enhance the
flourishing cotton industry, the consumption of water also
increased dramatically.
● The Soviet government’s plan to irrigate the desert by
diverting the rivers to cultivate rice, melons, cereals, and
cotton, many irrigational dams and canals were built on the
arteries of the Aral Sea.
● The poorly built canals also led to the wastage of water in a
serious level. The wastage of water from the largest canal in
Central Asia, Qaraqum Canal, was reportedly from 30 to 70
percentage.
 Where did the sea go?
● In 1960’s, the water level in Aral sea was drastically going
down as up to 60 cubic kilometers of water was going to the
farm lands instead of the sea.
● The amount of the water being redirected increased heavily
as the production of cotton in the farmlands doubled
between 1960 and 2000.
● As a result, the shrinking of the sea occurred at maximum
pace; at an average of 20cm in a year between 1961 to
1970, 50-60cm in 1970’s and it reached 80–90cm in
1980’s. The latest data reveals that water level in the Aral
sea drops by an average of 31-35 inches every year.
 Damaged ecosystem
● The fishing industry that once reportedly produced one-
sixth of the catch in the Soviet Union and employed around
40,000, has completely destroyed.

● The use of pesticides also increased at an alarming rate and

with the gradual increase of industrialization and the high
dropping percentage of water level, the Arlic sea became too
salty even for aquatic animals to survive.
 Damaged ecosystem
● The marine life suffered to a great extent and gradually the
fishing industry went through an all time low that was one of
the major consequences of the dying Aral Sea.
● The abandoned fishing trawlers in the sandy wastelands are
the living memories of the catastrophe.
● The ecosystem of the Aral Sea was destroyed mainly as a
result of the increased salinity as well as the testing of
weapons and other fertilizer run offs.
 Humans at fault
● In addition to the use of pesticides, activities like weapon
testing have also resulted in the formation of huge plains
covered with salt and toxic chemicals.
● The land around the Aral Sea is also highly polluted and the
people living in the surrounding areas have been suffering
from many health related problems along with the lack of
fresh drinking water.
● Reports suggest that there are high rates of certain kinds of
cancer and lung diseases in the surrounding area. A high rate
of respiratory illnesses, digestive disorders and infectious
diseases also have been reported in the region.
 Humans at fault
● In addition to the use of pesticides, activities like weapon
testing have also resulted in the formation of huge plains
covered with salt and toxic chemicals.
● The land around the Aral Sea is also highly polluted and the
people living in the surrounding areas have been suffering
from many health related problems along with the lack of
fresh drinking water.
● Reports suggest that there are high rates of certain kinds of
cancer and lung diseases in the surrounding area. A high rate
of respiratory illnesses, digestive disorders and infectious
diseases also have been reported in the region.
Aral sea | The difficult return of water
 Revival of the Aral Sea
● Adopted the Aral Sea Basin Program for the revival of the
sea. The program was aimed at stabilizing the environment
and also rehabilitating the disaster area around the Aral sea.

Aral Sea Reborn - earthrise