Land Degradation in the Dominican Republic
Deforestation in the Dominican Republic has involved burning trees to remove them from the land as opposed to using methods that are more sustainable (Alscher, 2011, p. 14). It is activities like those that had many unexpected damaging effects in the Dominican Republic. One of those effects was land degradation. Land degradation occurs when the land is extremely damaged due to human activity. Damaging the land decreases its productivity and can have very harmful effects (Blaikie and Brookfield, 1987, p. 25). Due to deforestation, the land has been subjected to the loss of trees, soil erosion, reduction of farmable land, damage to drainage systems, and “erosion of soil into the sea” (Alscher, 2011,
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p. 5). In addition to deforestation causing land degradation, many other factors, including farming methods, have also been extremely unsustainable and damaging to the earth’s land and soil. Such damaging farming methods include hillside farming and excessive irrigation (Castro, Mataya, and Stark, 2007, p. 7). Urbanization has also had an impact on land degradation. The country began to urbanize from the 1980s-1990s, which is also when the amount of land considered to be unproductive increased and so did the amount of waste land. There seems to be a correlation between the two (Castro, Mataya, and Stark, 2007, p. 29). The main factor that allowed the land to degrade extensively in the Dominican Republic was a lack of land use planning and a lack of government regulation.
The government allowed much of these unsustainable activities to occur without understanding the large scope of consequences it has. With land degradation, the country will not be able to “feed its population, provide water, develop the tourism industry, and diminish vulnerability to natural hazards”. Without the political will of the government, none of these issues can be addressed or minimized. The government needs to involve its efforts and funds to develop land use planning and to protect its resources in order to protect its future generations and the future of the country (Castro, Mataya, and Stark, 2007, p. …show more content…
11-12). It seems as though the government of the Dominican Republic finally understands the importance of regulating human activities that negatively affect the environment. The government was able to address the issue of land degradation and improve the situation by implementing programs and projects that are aimed to conserve soil and decrease soil erosion. These programs and projects helped make the land productive and farmable again. Another thing that helped make the land farmable again was irrigation (Castro, Mataya, and Stark, 2007, p. 29). Water Pollution and Water Scarcity in the Dominican Republic Although the irrigation of land and crops has been beneficial in reducing land degradation, it has also had some negative side effects. When the land is irrigated too much, it can salinize the soil, reduce the water supply of the people, damage the drainage of irrigation canals, and damage soil quality (Castro, Mataya, and Stark, 2007, p. 29). The Dominican Republic is suffering immensely from issues dealing with water pollution, loss of aquatic ecosystems, and sea-level rise (Granger, 1997, p. 73). Tourism is the most popular sector in the Dominican Republic and it also plays a great role in fueling issues directly related to water. When tourism is not managed in a sustainable way, it can lead to environmental troubles. Since the tourist sector competes with other sectors for resources, the demand for resources is high. Having a higher demand of resources than the actual supply that current exists can “upset delicate ecosystems” and “increase coastal water pollution” (Granger, 1997, p. 71). In addition to that, tourism also contributes to the salinization of coastal waters, issues with fragile wetlands, mangroves and reefs, and increases the vulnerability of the country to be devastated by natural disasters (Castro, Mataya, and Stark, 2007, p. 7). Mangrove forests and inland lagoons naturally protect the country from issues like “storm surges, prevent erosion, and shelter diverse flora and fauna” which means it protects biodiversity (Granger, 1997, p. 83). Damaging the natural ecosystems that protect the land, water, and species can cause many other problems to arise. The issue of water scarcity occurs due to many reasons.
Those reasons include people not having access to water, the quality of the water not being sanitized, or the water being contaminated. Along with a lack of land use planning, excessive irrigation, and the presence of salt water, deforestation has also contributed to the problem of water scarcity in the country. Deforestation causes the rivers to dry up, thus creating a water shortage (Castro, Mataya, and Stark, 2007, p. 71).
Although the government of the Dominican Republic has been working on providing access to water to its population, they have not made sufficient progress. For example, the government has yet to invest in “the construction of water delivery systems”. The government also fails to enforce regulation that can protect the quality of water it delivers to the population (Castro, Mataya, and Stark, 2007, p.
71). Due to a lack of regulation, water pollution and shortage has been on the rise. Since there is a shortage of water, people have no choice but to drink the polluted water. Many coastal waters are polluted by toxic wastes. In fact, coastal waters have become the dumpsite of untreated sewage (Granger, 1997, p. 84). Since many people are drinking that water, many water-borne diseases penetrate individuals (Castro, Mataya, and Stark, 2007, p. 71). Many cases of cholera and diarrhea are commonly heard of in the Dominican Republic. In fact, about half of the deaths of children less than a year old is largely due to diarrhea. The population is taught to either put drops of chlorine in the water or boil the water in order to make it drinkable (Inzaurralde, n.d., p.3). The government of the Dominican Republic can do a better job at addressing water pollution and scarcity. If the government were to invest in more systems and services to ensure good water quality, there would not be so many cases of water-borne diseases. The government definitely needs to step up and regulate water pollution and scarcity. They can start by implementing programs led by professionals to effectively manage water (Castro, Mataya, and Stark, 2007, p. 71). Call for Action and Conclusion Through analyzing each environmental issue individually, one can truly understand the causes and consequences of each issue occurring in the Dominican Republic. The same pattern can be seen in each environmental issue. Human activity is the root cause of each environmental issue and it continues to progress due to a lack of government involvement. The government has been lacking the motive of instituting services and programs that will enable the country to develop into a more sustainable nation (Jorge, 1997, p. 47). The government of the Dominican Republic can solve environmental issues, such as deforestation, land degradation, and water pollution and scarcity, by creating a land use plan that protects resources and ecosystems. It can also create laws that protects the country’s resources and ecosystems by legally making those who damage it financially pay for it (Granger, 1997, p. 89). Before anything, the government must first start by identifying the environmental issues that exist, work with other organizations that specialize in dealing with these issues, and then come up with effective solutions. The government must join forces with community based organizations, public agencies, and non-governmental organizations that are educated in addressing environmental issues. Only then will the government of the Dominican Republic be able to manage the environmental degradation currently pervading the country (Jorge, 1997, p. 49).
One reason for China’s water shortage is the climate change. In the past years many parts of China haven’t have enough rainfall and the sun is absorbing the sun (doc A) . Rivers are drying up according to Doc. A1. According to a 2006 report that
Sickness there is common and many times, water is the cause. “Education is lost to sickness. Economic development is lost while people merely try to survive” (The World Project). Americans go to the sink knowing with a simple flip of the nosil, clean water will magically appear. It is often presumed that clean water is a given and it is never acknowledged that saving water in one country could evidently help another country's water... ...
Mountain ranges divide the Dominican Republic into three regions, Northern, Central, and Southwestern. There are seven major drainage b...
Imagine yourself as a businessperson on a trip to the island of Hispaniola to check on how production is faring. You land in Santo Domingo to transfer to a short commuter flight to Port-au-Prince. During the flight, you gaze outside your window to admire the breathtaking view of the Sierra de Baoruco, with its luscious forests. As the plane approaches the Haiti-Dominican Republic border, you notice that the land has been completely denuded of trees directly on the other side of the border, creating a clear demarcation between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Pina, P. (2011 , March ). Addressing water Crisis in Mexico City. Retrieved 2014, from SYPA: http://watersecurityinitiative.seas.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Patricia%20PINA%20SYPA%20on%20Mexico%20City%20Water_0.pdf
Environment - current issues: sewage pollution of Lago de Valencia; oil and urban pollution of Lago de Maracaibo; deforestation; soil degradation; urban and industrial pollution, especially along the Caribbean coast; threat to the rainforest ecosystem from irresponsible mining operations
The total area of Mexico’s surface is slightly less than 2 million km2 (UNESCO 2006). The population is about 103 million people (Castro and Heller 2009). In the last two decades, as the population of the country has been growing intensively, the demand of water also dramatically increased. According to Armentia and Cisneros, the number of people who don’t have an access to water supply is about 11 million, almost 11% of Mexico’s population (Castro and Heller 2009). But there are far more people who don’t have an access to safe water. Moreover this situation with lack of water is exacerbated by malfunction of sewer systems. But to understand the causes of scarcity of water in Mexico and to evaluate the policy of the government in this sector, it needs to be observed thoroughly.
One of the most significant challenges to Panama’s environment today is deforestation. Forest area has decreased from 45.6% in 1995 to 38.6% ...
This is because only a small part of the population, particularly in developing countries, have access to water of acceptable quality. It is estimated that in some countries only 20% of the rural population has water of satisfactory quality. Based on these statistics, it is clear the urgent need for awareness about caring for water use. Almost without realizing it, we are seriously jeopardizing this essential resource, not for us but for our children's children and their generations, aware that in other parts o...
Now is a critical time to address the issue of deforestation. Around the world forests are logged for timber and paper pulp. South America contains a large amount of mahogany and rosewood—highly coveted types of wood—within the Amazon basin. Forests are also cleared to make room for the planting of cash crops, such as coffee and soy, as well as livestock farms. After only a few years, overuse of these lands for crops typically causes soil erosion that quickly turns deforested regions into wastelands. Deforestation is responsible for 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, which is more than all emissions all motorized transportation added together. The destruction of forests does not just threaten our climate; it threatens the livelihoods of billions of people that rely on forests for food and economic activities. The modern world relies on rainforests more than for the well-known reason. People receive many of their fruits and medicines from plant species that survive solely within the heart of a rainforest. Let’s not forget that forests also serve as habitats to wildlife a...
People are deforesting the planet for thousands of years, primarily to clear land for crops or stock. though tropical forests square measure for the most part confined to developing countries, they square measuren’t simply meeting native or national needs; economic economic process means the wants and desires of the worldwide population are bearing down on them also. Direct causes of deforestation square measure agricultural growth, wood extraction (e.g., work or wood harvest for domestic fuel or charcoal), and infrastructure growth like road building and urbanization. seldom is there one direct cause for deforestation. Most often, multiple processes work at the same time or consecutive to cause deforestation.The single biggest direct cause of tropical deforestation is conversion to cropland and pasture, mostly for subsistence, which is growing crops or raising livestock to meet daily needs. The conversion to agricultural land usually results from multiple direct factors. For example, countries build roads into remote areas to improve overland transportation of goods. The road development itself causes a limited amount of deforestation. But roads also provide entry to previously inaccessible—and often unclaimed—land. Logging, both legal and illegal, often follows road expansion (and in some cases is the reason for the road expansion). When loggers have harvested an area’s valuable timber, they move on. The roads and the logged areas become a magnet for settlers—farmers and ranchers who slash and burn the remaining forest for cropland or cattle pasture, completing the deforestation chain that began with road building. In other cases, forests that have been degraded by logging become fire-prone and are eventually deforested by repea...
On the one hand, participatory approach to land use planning can provide openings for the decentralized administration of land management and enhance legal protection of local land rights through contributing to formal recognition of existing land tenure systems. According to Chigbu et al, (2015) four functions of land use planning that directly links to tenure security. (1) Its capacity to identify or determine land areas, parcels and uses and users. (2) Its propensity to enable documentation of land areas, parcels, rights, restrictions and responsibilities. (3) The opportunities it provides for stakeholder involvement, compensation of claims and community participation. (4) Its impact on land value, land markets and credit opportunities. On the other hand, land use planning, promoting sustainable natural resource use and environmental management are generally part of the mandate of local governments. And these prerogatives often tend to be weakly developed, both legally and with respect to capacity building and methodology (Hilhorst 2010). Unclear property rights and tenure insecurity are the major constraints to the potential of successful land use planning. According to UN-Habitat (2008, p. 17), poor land use planning associated with insecurity of tenure and incompletely specified land rights leads to problems of air and water-borne pollution from agricultural and industrial land use. Though there is a
One of these causes is the overpopulation occurring in Jounieh. This shocked overpopulation led to a great increase demand for food which has been becoming more and more limited since, as we all know, no one can live without eating. So the amount of food is being reduced gradually. And as a result, food unsustainability and food unbalance have remained the major problems in that city causing starvation, poverty and malnutrition of lots of citizens. Overpopulation also affects the amount of water provided. Once a large number of people use water for consumption, agriculture, sanitation, and for many other cases, there will be definitely a water shortage, a lack of water availability. And as a consequence, some citizens died the previous years from thirstiness and others were obliged to not have as many showers as they used to. Thereafter, many diseases began spreading between the citizens. In addition, overpopulation with a random civil organization, as in Jounieh, has negative effects related to our health since the trees, the carbon dioxide purifiers, are being cut and negative effects related to our financial situations as well, since there was a significant rising in the housing cost. And never forget the ...
People have been deforesting the Earth for thousands of years, primarily to clear land for crops or livestock. Although tropical forests are largely confined to developing countries, they aren’t just meeting local or national needs; economic globalization means that the needs and wants of the global population are bearing down on them as well. Direct causes of deforestation are agricultural expansion, wood extraction (e.g., logging or wood harvest for domestic fuel or charcoal), and infrastructure expansion such as road building and urbanization. Rarely is there a single direct cause for deforestation. Most often, multiple processes work simultaneously or sequentially to cause deforestation.
One main causes of water scarcity is water mismanagement worldwide. Water mismanagement has become a crisis of governance that will impact heavily ...