How It Happens
Desertification basically limits the land’s capacity of supporting life. In turn, this phenomenon
affects both people and wildlife, sometimes in an irreversible way. The reduction of plant
cover and the removal of plants lead to severe soil erosion. At the same time, they increase
the chance of runoff and raindrop impact.
The problem with desertification is that it’s a self-continuing process. Once it starts on a
specific area of land, continual deterioration is bound to continue from there. Statistics
show desertification damages around 12 million hectares of land annually.
Source
What Exactly Is Desertification?
Desertification usually occurs in dry climates as a process of advanced land degradation.
Scientists still debate over what constitutes desertified land, but this is one of the most
accepted definitions.
Using terms like “desert encroachment,” however, often conjures up misguided images of
deserts that expand aggressively, colonizing the surrounding land. Even though bodies of
sand can surpass their climatic limits, most desertification occurs through alterations in soil
content, changes in climate, water levels, and lack of vegetation.
Causes of Desertification
Desertification results in continued degradation of land and of fragile ecosystems. But the
major causes behind it are often variations in climate and intrusive man-made activities.
In addition to affecting human, plant, and animal populations, desertification also negatively
impacts groundwater reserves, topsoil, and surface runoff. Drylands that suffer from water
scarcity are also very limited in terms of wood and crop production, as well as forage and
other ecosystem services.
According to the United Nations, overgrazing is the leading cause of desertification
worldwide. Other factors are involved, such as climate change, straining sources of
groundwater, urbanization, natural disasters, deforestation, and more. We will discuss each
one of these causes below, as well as potential solutions against desertification.
Source
Overgrazing
Many areas that are now turning into desert biomes deal with the huge problem of animal
grazing. Where there are too many animals – livestock and otherwise – in one spot, the land
takes longer to regenerate the plants. In turn, this hurts the biome and endangers the green
glory of pastures.
Intrusive Farming Practices
Farming, in general, is a useful and necessary human activity. However, some farmers go
overboard and strip the land of its resources by using it ineffectively. These farmers use up
the natural resources of a specific area of land and they move on to another plot. After
being stripped down of its nutrients, soil is far more vulnerable to desertification.
Deforestation
Desertification and deforestation go hand in hand. Without plants and trees, a biome has
small chances of thriving or even surviving. The problem usually occurs when people move
into a previously unlived area and the trees are felled for construction and other
necessities. While deforestation is tightly linked to urbanization (see below), it’s also one of
the main reasons why the planet needs us to start recycling.
Land Development and Urbanization
As mentioned above, human development can cause the disappearance of plant
life. Urbanization can also cause soil issues thanks to the chemicals and other toxic agents
people use that may harm the ground. Moreover, in urbanized areas, plants have less space
to grow, leading to various levels of desertification.
Source
Climate Change
One of the leading causes of desertification is climate change. With warmer days come
longer and more frequent periods of drought. Consequently, desertification becomes more
and more imminent in more areas around the world. If we don’t work together at slowing
down climate change, huge areas of land will desertify. Over time, many of these areas
could become uninhabitable.
Depleting the Land of Resources
Is there oil, natural gas, or mineral in an area of land? Sure enough, people will soon
discover it and will mine it or take it out. Stripping the soil of its natural resources ends
up killing the plant life. In turn, this initiates the process toward the area becoming a desert
biome over time.
Natural Disasters
In some cases, natural disasters are responsible for damaging the land and leading to
desertification. Drought, for example, is a force of nature that people can rarely stand
against. In these cases, scientists claim that rehabilitating the land after natural damage is
hardly possible.
Solutions for Desertification: Education
Introducing policy changes could be a potential solution against desertification, but not many
countries follow them. However, education can be an important tool in developing nations.
Education initiative can help farmers understand the best way to use the land. By teaching
them sustainable practices, we make sure that we prevent more land from turning into
desert.
Source
Technology Advances
Unfortunately, preventing desertification is not always possible. In those cases, our only
solution is turning to research and technological advancements. They can help us push
the limits of our current understanding of desertification. Thus, we can find more methods
that will prevent this problem from becoming epidemic.
Rehabilitation Initiatives
On the other hand, we do have some ways to rehabilitate the land that we’ve already helped
desertify. Even though it is difficult to go back, we can do it with the investment of money,
dedication, and time. Scientists claim that mimicking herds of grazing wildlife and a
controlled movement of herds of livestock could help reverse desertification.
Source
There’s no doubt that desertification is an incredible issue that needs immediate answers.
If we take the time to address it now, we might be able to prevent other problems from
branching out from it in the future. Taking a critical look at desertification will help us spur
initiatives of reversal and prevention in an effective way.