Home to a third of the human population in 2000, drylands occupy nearly half of Earth’s land area. In terms of desertification, Botswana is one of the most seriously affected countries in the Kalahari Region of Southern Africa. They study the human and physical effects of lack of water, the short and long term solutions to desertification and put forward their thoughts of water aid. Mitigation strategies are crucial for desertification given that once degradation starts, other solutions are extremely expensive or unworkable. Problems include overstocking, large-scale vegetation depletion and changes, especially around water points, and accelerated soil erosion by wind, sheetwash and gullying. Desertification is a significant global ecological and environmental problem.” Desertification has played a major part in much of recent human history (last 10,000 or so years). The UN Convention to Combat Desertification aims to combat desertification and the ill-effects of drought. For the 2016-2020 period, China aims to rehabilitate 10 million hectares of desertified land and turn more than half of the country's reclaimable desert into green land. As per the UN General Assembly, World Day to Combat Desertification And Drought is marked to make people aware that solutions are present to tackle desertification and drought. Desertification is the persistent degradation of dryland ecosystems by variations in climate and human activities. In early September, China will host a United Nations meeting on fighting desertification in Inner Mongolia, which is expected to draw a roadmap to end desert expansion by 2030. Desertification includes land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities. "Desertification is a fancy word for land that is turning to desert," begins Allan Savory in this quietly powerful talk. Facts about Desertification 10: the people who live in desertified areas Desertification Top 10 List. Desertification Feedbacks to Climate 28 14 3.3.1. 1. Finding 3. This Framework involves the inclusion of stakeholders in desertification combating initiatives. It may be expressed as the advancement or extension of the desert. Across the world, desertification affects the livelihoods of millions of people who rely on the benefits that dryland ecosystems can provide. Desertification refers to the development of desert-like conditions in an area and more so in a region adjacent to a desert. Read More » Prevention is key to handle this problem and solutions should be based on spotting and deactivating the stressors of the system. It is caused by a combination of human and natural factors that contribute to an unsustainable use of scarce natural resources. Desertification is a phenomenon that is increasingly understood by scientists. It’s contributed to the collapse of many major civilizations and empires — from Carthage, to the Harappan Civilization, to Ancient Greece, to the Roman Empire, to Ancient China, etc. Status and Trends of Desertification 16 12 3.2.2. Desertification has been correlated with low levels of organic carbon in soil, which regulates many vital functions in land and helps crops grow. The lack of general acceptance of a precise and objective definition of drought has been one of the principal obstacles to the investigation of drought. Broadly, these include social, political, economic, and natural factors which can vary on the country’s policies that lead to an unsustainable use of resources and agricultural uses – both of which are major root causes of the phenomenon. So let's try out this quiz. Types: Lesson Plans (Individual), Worksheets. See if you have what it takes to be a true environmentalist! It affects the land's capacity to supply ecosystem services, such as producing food or hosting biodiversity, to mention the most well known ones. Combating desertification is an integral part of sustainable development in the MENA region, which can be achieved by ensuring participation of civil society, implementation of modern water management techniques and use of traditional knowledge. Desertification is a silent, invisible crisis that is destabilizing communities on a global scale. Desertification is a global issue with a variety of causes that range from numerous factors. Photo: Sergio García/UNDP Chile. Where the degraded one is found on 10 to 20 percent of the drylands. Facts about Desertification 9: desertification in drylands. For example, UNCOD estimates that moderate desertification can lead to a 10–25% drop in agricultural productivity. UNCCD estimates that advancing desertification could displace globally 50 million people in the next 10 years [21]. Desertification in the Sudan has been accelerating at a faster rate over the last two decades, leading to marginalization and the loss of arable land. Subjects: Social Studies - History, Geography, Christmas/ Chanukah/ Kwanzaa. Learn about the definition of desertification, what causes it, which parts of the world it is threatening, and how we can take action to solve this problem. Harappan Civilization. Part of the desertification problem is natural in such a semi-arid and drought-prone environment. Established in 1994, UNCCC is a sole legally binding environment convention that links development and environment to sustainable land management. Desertification is land degradation in drylands that affects biological productivity as well as the livelihoods of millions of people. 3 An inspection of the many hundreds of reports and papers dealing with the massive environmental disaster building up in Africa will indicate that the causes are ’well-known’. With the aim of supporting these communities, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the European Union (EU) partnered in 2007 to promote the Programme to Combat Desertification.. Changes in Surface Albedo 30 16 3.3.3. Desertification is not just scraping at the back door of families in places like West Africa. 10 3.2. UNCCD stands for United Nations Convention to Combet Desertification. The relationship between desertification and climate change in the Mediterranean1 1 This region is defined as those Mediterranean Partner countries of the EU-27 that are part of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM). Moderate desertification:A medium degree of damage of vegetation cover occurs and formation of small sand dunes and salinization of the soil which reduces production by 10- 25%. You can refer to NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Science Chapter 7 Conservation of Plants and Animals to revise the concepts in the syllabus effectively and improve your chances of securing high marks in your board exams. (NOTE: Statements in this talk have been challenged by scientists working in this field. It is already in their homes and affecting their livelihoods in the most fundamental way. 7. proffer solutions that will bridge the gaps in the existing national efforts to combat the environmental problems of drought and desertification Drought Drought is one of the main causes of desertification. While high temperatures and droughts prevent plants from growing, arid soils aren’t as good at retaining water. Seventy kilometers away from La Junquera, in the village of Chirivel, Santiaga Sánchez Porcel is waging her own battle against worsening soil health and erosion. Choose the correct option. In East Africa desert-like conditions have been experienced or developed in … Top 10 causes of desertification. 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. Changes in Vegetation and Greenhouse Gas Fluxes 30 17 3.4. All the best! Sand and Dust Aerosols 28 15 3.3.2. Kenya is faced with land degradation and desertification and it is committed to combating desertification as reflected in its National Action Program (NAP) as per the provisions of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Desertification has been commonly experienced in the Sahel region of Africa. The main factors contributing to desertification include drought, population growth, the spread of extensive agriculture, deforestation, rapid urbanization, the erosion of local political power, the lack of economic institutions and the … Conservation of Plants and Animals Class 8 MCQs Questions with Answers. 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. “Desertification is a type of land degradation in which a relatively dry land region becomes increasingly arid, typically losing its bodies of water as well as vegetation and wildlife.