E N V I R O N M E N TA L

ISSUES:
D E F O R E S TAT I O N &
D E S E R T I F I C AT I O N

SS7G2: Explain environmental

issues across the continent of
Africa.
S TA N D A R D S : S S 7 G 2

• SS7G2: Explain environmental issues

across the continent of Africa.
b. Explain the relationship between poor soil and deforestation
in Sub-Saharan Africa.
c. Explain the impact of desertification on the
environment of Africa
 T O D AY ’ S G O A L S

• Learning Target
Learning Target: I am learning the relationship between poor soil and deforestation
in Sub –Saharan Africa and how desertification is a growing concern in Africa
• Success Criteria
can explain in a paragraph the impact of desertification on the environment of
Africa.
• Essential Question
How does location influence the culture,
Development, and economy of the ethnic groups
of Africa?
 D E F O R E S TAT I O N S
CAUSES

• Deforestation is the process of

forests being destroyed to make
way for human development.
• A main cause of deforestation in
Africa today is commercial logging.
• The timber is exported all over the
world and helps boost the economy
of many African countries.
 D E F O R E S TAT I O N
EFFECTS

• As the number of trees shrinks, so does

the amount of oxygen produce.
• Meanwhile, the amount of harmful
carbon dioxide in the air increases.
• Less rainforests could also mean fewer
medicines. About one-fourth of all
medicines people use come from
rainforest plants.
• Deforestation also leads to extinction
of species of both plants and animals.
• The sun bakes the exposed soil into
hard clay, which leads to desertification
 D E S E R T I F I C AT I O N C A U S E S

The Sahel is one part of Africa

The winds coming from the
that is experiencing severe
Sahara gradually blow the dry Most of the desertification is
problems with desertification,
topsoil away, leaving a barren the result of the actions of Poor farming practices.
the process of the desert
and rocky land that loses its people rather than climate
expanding into areas that had
ability to hold water
formerly been farmland.

Animals being allowed to

People cutting down the trees
that help hold the soil in place.
Draining the surface &
graze too heavily in an area
underground water for
and stripping all of the
industrial & home use.
vegetation from the soil.
 D E S E R T I F I C AT I O N
EFFECTS

• The survival needs of the people living there

are clear, but they are destroying major parts
of their environment in the process.
• Africans who have lived for generations by
farming and raising grazing animals are
finding they have less and less land
available to them.
• The people who live in these areas often
face starvation and poverty.
• Many move into urban areas hoping to find
work, but most find only more poverty
 WORK SESSION

• We Do Together
Deforestation Cause and Effect Chart
• You Do Together
Desertification Cause and Effect Chart
• You Do Alone
Quick write in Gallopade assignment: Land-Based
Environmental Issues in Africa