Deforestation, overgrazing, and overuse of water by people are some of the leading factors responsible for desertification.
What is the main cause of desertification?
‘Climatic variations’ and ‘Human activities’ can be regarded as the two main causes of desertification. removal of the natural vegetation cover(by taking too much fuel wood), agricultural activities in the vulnerable ecosystems of arid and semi-arid areas, which are thus strained beyond their capacity.
What causes desertification in the Gobi Desert?
The source of this desertification process is both man-made and induced by the climate of the area . China’s rapid societal expansion in the 20 th century caused mass deforestation and over grazing, leaving the land exposed to the elements.
How Gobi Desert was formed?
We estimate that the modern Gobi Desert landscape was formed at ~2.6 Ma and was the result of the stepwise evolution of Asian topography and climate during the Cenozoic , dominated by Asian tectonic deformation and uplift, and the evolution of Asian monsoon climate and the westerly circulation, forced by global ...
What is causing desertification in East Africa?
Poverty-related agricultural practices are a major contributor to desertification. Continuous cultivation without adding supplements, overgrazing, lack of soil and water conservation structures, and indiscriminate bushfires aggravate the process of desertification.
What are 3 causes of desertification?
Human activities that contribute to desertification include the expansion and intensive use of agricultural lands, poor irrigation practices, deforestation, and overgrazing . These unsustainable land uses place enormous pressure on the land by altering its soil chemistry and hydrology.
How can desertification be prevented?
Integrated land and water management are key methods of desertification prevention. All measures that protect soils from erosion, salinization, and other forms of soil degradation effectively prevent desertification.
What are the 5 causes of desertification?
- Overgrazing. ...
- Deforestation. ...
- Farming Practices. ...
- Excessive Use of Fertilizers and Pesticides. ...
- Overdrafting of groundwater. ...
- Urbanization and Other Types of Land Development. ...
- Climate Change. ...
- Stripping the Land of Resources.
How can desertification affect humans?
Land degradation and desertification can affect human health through complex pathways . As land is degraded and deserts expand in some places, food production is reduced, water sources dry up and populations are pressured to move to more hospitable areas. ... the spread of infectious diseases as populations migrate.
Can you reverse desertification?
In order to prevent and reverse desertification, major policy interventions and changes in management approaches are needed. ... In areas where desertification processes are at the early stages or are relatively minor, it is possible to stop the process and restore key services in the degraded areas.
Do humans live in the Gobi Desert?
The Gobi Desert: Camels make up a significant proportion of life in this vast expanse of land. 13. Yes, people live in the desert ! Although, the population of this mega expanse of land is relatively small.
What does Gobi mean in English?
Cauliflower . ‘a Punjabi dish with potatoes (aloo) and cauliflower (gobi) cooked in spices’
Is Gobi a hot or cold desert?
Cold deserts form at higher latitudes. The Patagonian desert in South America and the Gobi desert in Asia are cold deserts . Hot deserts are found in large bands that straddle the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, either side of the equator. The Sahara and Kalahari deserts in Africa are hot deserts.
Why is desertification a huge problem in Africa?
It has been estimated that 319 million hectares of Africa are vulnerable to desertification hazards due to sand movement . ... Deforestation exposes the soil to high temperatures which break down the organic matter, increase evaporation and make the soils vulnerable to erosion.
How is desertification affecting Africa?
The degradation of drylands in Africa is forcing people who can no longer make a living off the land to move to urban areas . ... And as the populations of cities in or near drylands continue to rise, pressures on limited water resources increase as well.
Where is desertification the worst?
The United Nations Convention (UNC) says that about six million Sahelian citizens would have to give up the desertified zones of sub-Saharan Africa for North Africa and Europe between 1997 and 2020. Lake Chad , located in the Sahel region, has been hit particularly hard by this phenomenon.
