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examBoard: Cambridge
examType: IGCSE
lessonTitle: Desertification Processes
Desertification is one of the most serious environmental challenges facing our planet today. It affects the lives of millions of people, particularly in drier regions of the world. But what exactly is it and how does it happen?
Key Definitions:
Desertification affects about 40% of Earth's land surface and threatens the livelihoods of over 1 billion people in more than 100 countries!
Desertification doesn't just happen overnight. It's the result of both natural processes and human activities working together over time.
Desertification typically follows a series of steps that can happen over years or decades. Understanding this process helps us identify warning signs and take action before it's too late.
Vegetation begins to thin out due to drought, overgrazing, or poor land management. Patches of bare soil appear. The soil starts to lose its structure and organic matter.
Without plant roots to hold it together, soil becomes vulnerable to wind and water erosion. Topsoil is lost, reducing fertility. Remaining plants struggle to survive in poorer soil conditions.
The land becomes increasingly barren. Soil compacts and forms a hard crust that prevents water absorption. Desert-adapted plants may replace original vegetation. The ecosystem fundamentally changes.
One of the most concerning aspects of desertification is how it creates a vicious cycle that's difficult to break:
Desertification doesn't just change how the land looks it fundamentally alters entire ecosystems and can have far-reaching environmental consequences.
As land degrades, plant and animal species that can't adapt to drier conditions disappear. This reduces biodiversity and disrupts food chains. Some species may become locally extinct and unique ecosystems can be lost forever.
Healthy soil acts like a sponge, absorbing rainfall and releasing it slowly. Degraded land can't hold water, leading to increased runoff, flash floods and reduced groundwater recharge. This makes drought conditions even worse.
Desertification can actually influence local and regional climate patterns. With less vegetation, there's:
The effects of desertification extend far beyond the environment, deeply affecting human communities and economies.
As land becomes less productive, crop yields decline. This leads to food shortages and higher food prices. Livestock may die from lack of grazing land. Malnutrition becomes more common, especially among vulnerable populations.
When land can no longer support communities, people are forced to move elsewhere becoming "environmental refugees." This can lead to overcrowding in cities, strain on resources in new areas and sometimes conflict over remaining fertile land and water sources.
The UN estimates that desertification and land degradation cost the global economy about $490 billion per year. These costs come from:
The Sahel is a semi-arid region that stretches across Africa, just south of the Sahara Desert. Since the 1970s, it has experienced severe desertification due to a combination of drought, population growth and unsustainable farming practices.
In countries like Mali, Niger and Chad, desertification has contributed to:
The Great Green Wall initiative is now attempting to combat this by planting a 8,000 km "wall" of trees across the continent to hold back the desert.
The Loess Plateau in northern China has been severely affected by desertification, with over 60% of the land degraded by the 1990s. Causes included:
Since 1994, the Chinese government has implemented a massive restoration project, investing over $500 million. By terracing hillsides, planting trees and changing farming practices, they've managed to restore vegetation to over 4 million hectares of land and significantly reduced soil erosion.
The good news is that desertification can be slowed, stopped and even reversed with the right approaches.
Techniques like contour ploughing, crop rotation and agroforestry can help maintain soil health. Cover crops protect soil between harvests. Reduced tillage keeps soil structure intact.
Planting trees and shrubs helps stabilize soil, increase water infiltration and create microclimates. Trees with deep roots can access groundwater and survive dry periods better.
Techniques like rainwater harvesting, drip irrigation and building small dams help maximize limited water resources. Careful management of groundwater prevents depletion.
Even if you don't live in an area affected by desertification, your choices can make a difference:
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