Learning Unit 5: Desertification

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 Learning Outcomes
• Define the term "desertification"
• Classify and explain the causes of desertification
• Locate the countries within the Sahel Region on a
map of Africa
• Analyse how population growth in the Sahel results
in desertification
 Definition of desertification
• The UNCCD defined desertification as land
degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry subhumid
areas resulting from various factors, including
climatic variations and human activities.
 Causes of desertification
Pages 95-105 in Middleton
• Five physical processes contributing to
desertification:
– Intensive grazing
– Overcultivation
– Overexploitation of vegetation
– Salinization
– Drought
 Causes of desertification
Intensive grazing
• Overuse of pastures by allowing too many
animals or inappropriate types of animals
grazing on pastures
• Removal of biomass by grazing animals and
livestock trampling cause soil compaction
• Decreased vegetation cover increases soil
erosion
• Invasion of desert shrubs contribute to
formation of desert pavement
• Examples: commercial ranches in North
America and Australia; Sahel (southern
Somalia region in particular)
 Causes of desertification
Overcultivation

• Short fallow periods cause nutrient depletion and

reduced crop yields
• Mechanisation causes decreases in soil stability
• Use of soils in marginal areas, which are more prone
to droughts
• All of the above activities decreases soil organic
matter and increases soil erosion
• Examples: US Great Plains (1930s), Former USSR’s
Virgin Lands (1950s) and Niger (1950s and 1960s)
 Causes of desertification
Overexploitation of vegetation
• Expansion of grazing or cultivation (agriculture)
• Provision of firewood
• Soil is deprived of nutrients and organic matter from
decomposing leaf litter
• Decline in soil structure and fertility
• May affect water tables
• Chacoan forests in Argentina example:
– Use of wood for railways
– Agricultural expansion
– Harvesting firewood and fodder
– Making charcoal
 Causes of desertification
Salinization of irrigated land
• The potential evaporation rate of water from soil exceeding
the input of water, which allows salts to accumulate near the
surface as the soil dries.
• Salt build-up can occur in the root zone of plants or create
saline water tables under irrigated fields
• Irrigation techniques which lead to salinization are:
– Water leaks from supply canals
– Overapplication of water
– Poor drainage
– Insufficient application of water to leach salts away
• Examples: Indus irrigation system in Pakistan, Aral Sea
tragedy
 Causes of desertification
Drought
• A temporary dry period when precipitation is
significantly below normal recorded levels.
• Three types of drought (meteorological, agricultural,
hydrological)
• Drought and its effects on people vary depending on
their coping capabilities.
• The impact of drought is more severe in some
developing countries as in developed countries
• Examples: Botswana; Niger; Kenya; Ethiopia; Eritrea
and Djibouti
 Positive changes: Case Study
Page 101 in Middleton
• Reforestation in southern Niger
• The low-cost method of tree regeneration
• Amendment of laws in Niger to transfer ownership of trees to
farmers
• Benefits from trees: reducing wind speeds, evaporation and
limiting soil and moisture losses
• Falling leaves used as natural fertilizer
• Trees producing firewood, fruit and bark
• Improvement of food security and reducing poverty during a
time of rapid population growth
• Highest tree densities found in areas of high rural population
density