Eassy On Desertification

What is Desertification

Desertification is the degradation of lands in dry area, not the expansion of existing deserts. Natural deserts occur because of high pressure zones or due to “rain shadow effects” both products of atmosphere interacting with geography; however modern desertification is result of degrading lands due to human use. Desertification primarily occurs in arid regions as precipitation is already sparse making any other disturbance, such as over cultivation, amplified. Alan Grainger in his book states that the scientific community considers this issue “the decline in biological productivity or production potential are characteristic of a long-term process of degradation, rather than a simple short-term decline in the level of production that commonly occurs during drought” (15), however the books believes this definition is not intense enough to capture the severity of desertification. The term itself confuses people into thinking that desertification is the expansion and possible natural expansion, of deserts. The driest lands of Africa in the Sahara tend to be suited for little other than nomadic livestock, as regular agriculture is unequipped to handle anything less than 350 mm of rainfall.

Causes and Dangers:

Agriculture increase and misuse is one of the central causes of desertification. Agricultural practices require the use and often the drying up of rivers. While water overuse is fundamental to the creation of drought conditions, the deforestation and soil erosion could be considered far more detrimental. To create agricultural surfaces, land must be cleared of existing vegetation. As roots bond soils and create micro bacterial gums, their loss has significant consequences for the soil strength (1).W...

... middle of paper ...

...l method is problematic as it often results the overgrazing of public areas. Traditional grazing practices tend to displace wildlife and upset the original balance of plant-species composition. When a dominate species of plant is replaced it results in lasting changes in the “output, input and components of the system” according to research done at the University of Botswana (14). Grazing when it was managed property before the population boom in Africa was sustainable and undamaging to biodiversity composition. However, increased population and demand for exports has pushed grazing to its maximum and has led to subsistent mixed farms which are run off of subsides and require pesticides and large-scale monocropping to increase yield.

Results

Results:

If properly managed, agriculture should enhance and not be the enemy of biodiversity in the drylands of Africa.