Desertification

By: Tara and Tiffany Morgan

What is Desertification?• Desertification is a process where a used

habitable land becomes so dangerously eroded that any remaining loses its nutrients and forms into a desert

• First stared in the Sahara Desert 5,000 years ago

Map of Desertification

• The Aral sea was once the world fourth largest saline body of water

• Was 68,000 km2• It has been

steadily shrinking since the 1960’s

What are the causes?

Other Human Causes

• Overgrazing– Kills plants holding down soil

• Cultivation • Destruction of vegetation in arid regions

(often for fuels)• Poor grazing management after accidental

burning of semi-arid vegetation-reduces and eliminates plants

that help bind the soil.

Causes continued…

• The biggest cause is Global Warming– Because of desertification, It is speeding up

the already accelerate desertification – It is making it harder for the people who are

trying to slow the process

Continuation • Another major cause of desertification is

because of the loss of perennial grasses, grasslands, savannas, and open woodlands.

Perennial grasses Grasslands Savannahs

Who is causing this?

• Humans are the major cause of the growth of desertification.

• In many countries, poverty and over-population is the major issue

• Because of this, people have to destroy the forest-belts, they practice poor irrigation, and agricultural methods like slash and burn, and soil nutrient mining.

The Effects• The effects of desertification are increasing every year in various

places. Some of the effects are:• Reducing the ability of land • Supporting life• Affecting wild species• Domestic animals• Damaging agricultural crops

Effects continued…

• Desertification hurts more than one billion people in over 100 countries

• 75 billion tons of soil is eroded every year

• Every day 25,000 people die of hunger

• The dry land degradation reduces carbon storage contributing to global warming

Who this is hurting most • The nomads way of life, which are in the

affected areas such as Mongolia and Niger

• The nomads live off their herds and due to the lack of greens that the animals are starving and dying from, the nomads that live off them as well

• As the desert closes in on there land they are forced to leave, killing the way of the nomad life that has existed for hundreds of years

Where is this taking place?• China

– Mongolia• Now 41% is now desert• Gobi desert is rapidly growing

• Africa– Niger

• ¾ is now covered in desert• Sahara spreads 6 kilometers per year and rapidly getting close to

the Tenera desert

• India• Western parts of North America (not as high up as

Canada)• Australia • South America• Specialist fear that the Mediterranean will be nothing but

desert in the future if desertification is not stopped

Can desertification be stopped?

• Desertification can be stopped, but it is going to take billions of dollars to bring it to an end.

• The cost now is $42 billion a year.

• Locals need to learn to stop over grazing and better conserve water

Government movement

• First brought up by EuroMed in 2006 but nothing came of it

• In March 2008 EuroMed took another serious look at desertification

• May 16th, 2008 epp-ed held a meeting with European parliament to discuss how to handle desertification

• June 17th is ‘World day to Combat Desertification’

Videos

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhrWCGIlku4

• http://youtube.com/watch?v=A8nvfttOTF4&feature=related

Works Cited

• http://www.botany.uwc.ac.za/envFacts/facts/desertification.htm

• http://www.ciesin.org/docs/002-186/002-186.html

• http://www.didyouknow.org/deserts.htm• http://www.informaction.org/images/

desertification.gif• http://oregonstate.edu/international/CWG/17/

ChinaDesertification.jpg• http://www.springerlink.com/content/

t7474w3123p55257/