Imagine a world where everything was covered by deserts; camels roamed free, water was scarce, and sand dunes reached for as far as the eye could see. Sounds unrealistic? It may not be as unrealistic as you think. The deserts are expanding, stretching beyond their 'usual' boundaries and seeping into the surrounding land. We call the process of land becoming a desert, 'desertification.' What causes this to happen? What impacts does it have? Are there solutions; can we stop it or make it easier to deal with? It's important not to desert these important questions. Let's delve in.
Desertification meaning
You may have read our explanation on hot deserts and already know that a desert is an important ecosystem characterised by a lack of available water and low levels of rainfall. While there are hot and cold deserts - think the Sahara versus the Arctic - we will focus on hot deserts here. But what exactly is the meaning of desertification?
Desertification is the process of an area transforming into a desert by the persistent degradation of dryland ecosystems. This can happen because of natural or human factors, or even a combination of both!
Because of the harsh climate, it can be challenging to survive in desert environments. Therefore, desertification poses a threat to humans, animals, and plant species alike. But how does this happen? Let's see...
Process of desertification
Desertification does not happen overnight; it is a process that usually takes time to develop. So, how does this happen?
We start with a non-desert, with fertile soil, flora, fauna, and water retention. When something disturbs the regular operation of a non-desert, the soil can degrade and lose its quality, leading to plants dying off. When plants die, herbivores can die out or move away, leading to less food supply for the carnivores/omnivores. This can then contribute to further or quicker desertification. Talk about a huge ripple effect!
Fig. 1 - Desertification.
Did you know: desertification happens in so-called drylands? These are lands that are already arid, semi-arid, or dry-humid areas.
Causes of desertification
Let's look at the causes of desertification, see if they are human or natural causes, and what issues they actually cause.
| Cause | Human or natural | Issue |
| Deforestation | Human | Forests are cleared from their trees and other vegetation to use the wood or make room for different land use. |
| Soil erosion | Human | Population growth is the primary cause of soil erosion, which is only worsened by the removal of wood and over-grazing by animals. |
| Over-grazing | Human | Population growth and an ever-increasing demand for meat mean two things: - Herds need to be bigger to keep up with demand; these animals require more space, so trees have to come down to make room.
- With bigger herds come bigger needs for food for the animals. This can cause over-grazing of the area, where too much vegetation is removed, leading to soil erosion.
|
| Climate change | Human and natural | Global temperatures are rising, with desert regions getting ever warmer and drier. There are also extreme weather events that are problematic. Climate change is both a natural and human cause: - Natural: Climate change is nothing new; it is as old as the Earth itself. Over millions of years, the Earth has warmed up and cooled down.
- Human: While climate change may be natural, humans are certainly making things worse and causing more rapid negative changes.
|
Table 1
As you can see in the table above, there is not just one cause of desertification; there are several causes, usually with a snowball effect where one cause leads to another.
Fig. 2 - Over-grazing.
Impacts of desertification
The impact of desertification is not just restricted to the physical environment. It can also hugely impact people, animals, plants, and even money. The below table shows (the potential) impacts of desertification. Pay attention to whether the impacts are social, economic, or environmental.
| Impact | Type of Impact | Explanation |
| Food insecurity | Social | Desertification can mean that land no longer supports the growth of plants or animal rearing that can provide food for people, leading to food insecurity or famine. |
| Water insecurity | Social | Similarly, the drying out of the environment can result in water insecurity. Without water, people will suffer from water insecurity, disease, and death. |
| The rising price of resources | Economic | Food and water insecurity can lead to increased resource prices. Prices can be further increased if resources have to be imported. |
| Economic decline | Economic | Food insecurity can lead to fewer products for selling/exporting, meaning a loss of income. Moreover, the price rises of resources put a financial strain on people. |
| Loss of biodiversity | Environmental | Desertification can create a harsh climate unsuited to many plants and animals. This can cause species to become extinct or migrate elsewhere. Either way, this decreases biodiversity. |
| Climate change | Environmental | Climate change isn't just a cause of desertification, but also a consequence. When soils are eroded, they capture less carbon from the atmosphere. More carbon in the atmosphere means more climate change! |
Table 2
These impacts all sound pretty bad, right? Luckily, there are some ways that we can reduce or even prevent the effects of desertification.
Solutions to desertification
Solutions come in different forms, where we can either try to prevent, reverse or reduce desertification.
Prevention
You know the phrase “prevention is better than cure," right? Well, it's true! Prevention means you stop something from happening, which will have short-term and long-term benefits. Prevention is also way more cost-effective than reversal or rehabilitation.
It has already been shown that dryland populations, i.e. people living in dry arid regions, can prevent desertification through active innovation, where agricultural and grazing practices are improved sustainably. Preventative actions include:
| Action | Result |
| Land and water management | Protects soils from erosion or any other type of degradation. |
| Sustainable land use | Protects soil from wind and water erosion. Makes use of both pastoral and cropping land use rather than just one. Both favour dry subhumid and semi-arid zones, so the land can be used for both options. Alternating land uses can protect the soil and maximise land use and resources. |
| Protect vegetative cover | Prevents over-grazing, trampling of soils, over-exploitation of plants, and unsustainable irrigation practices. |
| Use suitable local technology | Encourage locals to use technology best suited for their specific environment, where they work with the ecosystem rather than against it. |
| Education | By educating and reinforcing local knowledge on (sustainable) resource management, they learn how to use their land in the best way possible. |
| Alternative livelihoods | Alternative livelihoods that are not dependent on traditional land use but less demanding on the local land and its natural resources will provide a sustainable income without damaging the land. |
| Create economic opportunities | Alternative livelihoods, as mentioned above, can also be in fields other than just land use. This gives people an income without damaging the land. |
Table 3
Reversal
Rehabilitation and restoration of land can help reverse desertification and help restore ecosystems.
Reversal actions include:
- Establishing seed banks.
- Reintroduce selected species which may have inhabited the area before desertification and were responsible for creating a balanced ecosystem.
- Use terracing and other measures to counter erosion.
- Enrich the soil with nutrients, which will help with plant growth which, in turn, will create more stable soil and provide food for the local fauna.
- Planting trees will keep the soil healthy and stable and provide a food source for the local fauna.
Reducing
Prevention is the most important way to battle desertification, but if that is not an option, both reversing or reducing are options because it is better than not acting at all.
| Action | Outcome |
| Water management | Water can be stored in wet seasons to use during dry seasons to irrigate crops. Drip irrigation Hoses are punctured with small holes that allow water to drip slowly onto the ground. This will minimise water loss and maximises effectiveness. |
| Planting trees | Tree roots will hold the soil together, which prevents wind and rain erosion. |
| Improving soil quality | It can be achieved by reducing the number of grazing animals (which will prevent over-grazing) and using the land to become available for growing crops. As with plants, crops have roots that hold the soil together, reducing or eliminating wind and rain erosion. |
| Magic stones | Also known as bunds, they are stones placed on the ground to hold water on the soil instead of letting it run over the surface. |
Table 4Desertification example
Now that you know all about desertification, let's look at an example.
Sahel region in Northern Africa
The Sahel region faces serious environmental issues due to desertification. Over-farming, over-grazing, and natural soil erosion have caused severe desertification.
One solution is the Great Green Wall of Africa, a 9.3 mi/15km wide and 4,971 mi/8,000km-long plant barrier along the Sahel's northern edge. It aims to prevent the spread of desertification.
Fig. 3 - Map showing the Sahel region (orange) in Africa.
Other examples of desertification include the Ningxia Hui region in northern China and the Murray-Darling Basin in southeastern Australia.
Desertification - Key takeaways
- Desertification happens when land becomes drier and transforms into a desert.
- Desertification can be caused by natural and human factors, including climate change, deforestation, farming, and population increase.
- Impacts of desertification include food and water insecurity, death, economic decline, loss of biodiversity and climate change.
- Solutions include preventing desertification (through reforestation and improving soil quality) and managing desertification (through water management systems).
- An example of desertification is the Sahel region, Africa.
References
- Fig.1 Desertification. (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GR1220001_Desertification_jeanajean2.jpg) by Jeanajean (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GR1220001_Desertification_jeanajean2.jpg) licensed by CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en).
- Fig 2. Over-grazing. (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Overgrazing.JPG) by Cgoodwin (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Cgoodwin) licensed by CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en).
- Fig 3. Map showing the Sahel region (orange) in Africa. (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Map_sahel_2.png) by Pechristener (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Map_sahel_2.svg) licensed by CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en).
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