Desertification

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Desertification

• By Bobby BrodbeckRyan FennessyBlair
  HarlanDave LoweMeghan NapoliKayleigh
  PrattBrad Ryczko

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What is Desertification?

• Agenda 21 defines desertification as land
  degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub humid
  areas resulting from various factors, including
  climatic variations and human activities.
• The process of land degradation includes
• Soil erosion
• Nutrient depletion
• Crust formation
• Stalinization
• Reduction in pasture and agricultural
  productivity
• Loss of biodiversity

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Causes of Desertification

• Overgrazing
• Cultivation of marginal lands
• Destruction of vegetation
• Incorrect irrigation practices
• Overpopulation and poverty

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Current Problem Areas

• Worldwide
• Causing hunger all over Africa especially in the
  Sahara and other desert regions
• Asia
• China is losing nearly 1,400 square miles a year
• Central America
• Degradation of croplands forcing Mexicans off the
  land to find jobs in cities or the US

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Climate and Desertification

• One area hit hard by desertification is in
  Africa, most notably in the Sahara Desert.
• -Here, weather ranges from Extreme heat of up to
  130 degrees to freezing temperatures at night.
• -Though little, it does have periods of rain
  which can be shot torrential downpours.(2-10 cm a
  year)
• Years without rain are also common. Loss of
  fertile land and grasslands cause deserts to
  expand because of this.
• -Droughts occur which results in little to no
  vegetation, grassy areas, or trees. Livestock
  forced to graze where available.
• Overgrazing and agricultural deprivation occurs.

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Other causes and consequences

• Damaging of grassy or wooded areas also causes
  problems to topsoil temperatures and air
  humidity.
• Atmospheric masses and rainfall shift causing
  drying of soil and soil cover which results in
  air erosion.
• Sahel belt acts like a cover for part of Sahara
  Desert.
• Deforestation here has caused loss of forest area
  resulting in further droughts and a expansion of
  Sahara Desert

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Other areas effected by Climate..

• Kenyas average rainfall is 250-1000mm. Though
  two different rain seasons, rainfall varies and
  high temperatures cause evaporation of rain and
  drought.
• Crops fail to survive. By 2025 climate main cause
  of temp. increase. This will be main cause of
  drought.
• High cost in human life and livestock. Depend on
  food relief.
• Deforestation results in no cover of forest. Soil
  easily susceptible to wind and water erosion.
  Leads to more dry lands and drought is likely to
  occur.
• Soil loss is equal to about 4310 metric tons

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Even more Desertification knowledge fun!

• Central Asia and Middle East also have problems..
• Irrigated land aggravated by
• Overgrazing
• Soil Erosion
• Salt damage
• Water erosion also problem- especially in China
• Yellow River has a 46 of sediments in water
  because of water erosion.

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Animals Desertification
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Livestock

• Contributor
• Overgrazing
• Hoof Pounding
• Killing plant species
• Overpopulation

• Victim
• Lack of food
• Lack of water
• Overuse

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Endangered Species
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Chimpanzee
According to the African Wildlife Foundation The
number of chimps in the wild is steadily
decreasing. The wilderness areas necessary to
their survival are disappearing at an alarming
rate as more forests are cut down for farming and
other activities.

• Diet
• 80 Different plant foods
• Fruits, leaves, buds and blossoms
• Why do we need them?
• Safe medical research

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Elephant
According to the African Wildlife Foundation,
Elephants are an essential component of African
ecosystems, but when they are confined by park
boundaries and human settlements, their impact
can upset the ecological balance.

• Diet
• Consume 5 of their body weight per day (leaves,
  twigs and grass)
• Drink 30-50 gallons of water per day

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Zebra
According to the African Wildlife Foundation,
Like many species of East Africas grazing
animals, the zebras is most in danger of habitat
loss and competition for water with livestock.

• Diet
• Water dependent, but a very adaptable grazer
• Compete with livestock for food and water
  because they are restricted to Northern Kenya

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Giraffe
According to the African Wildlife Foundation,
Giraffes are found in arid and dry-savanna zones
south of the Sahara, wherever trees occur.

• Diet
• Principal food- Acacia tree
• Can flourish wherever food is abundant
• Consumes up to 65 pounds of food each day

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People and Desertification

• Affects over one billion people
• Irrigation- no money for water pumps or no ground
  water
• Over farming- no education for more effective
  farming
• Deforestation- no funds for solar cookers
• Over population- Pope rejects contraceptives for
  Africa

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DarFur

• Conflict Arabs vs. African farmers
• Started in 2003 when rebels attacked
• 2.9 million uprooted and over 300,000 dead
• Evolved from conflict to Genocide

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Senegal

• The Senegal Region is regularly affected by
• Pest
• Droughts
• Improper farming by natives

• Actions to prevent complete desertification
• 52 boreholes with manual pumps
• Installation of irrigation holds
• Avoided over farming and desertification

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Players and their effects on desertification
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Convention of Biological Diversity

• Goal positive impact for threatened biological
  species and habitats.
• BAP began at the 1992 Convention on Biological
  Diversity
• Small percentage of the 189 countries that
  ratified the CBD successful to draw up and
  implement BAP documents that erase the damage
  caused by desertification to species

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Green Wall of China

• plant vegetation 5,700 kilometers long
• almost as long as the Great Wall of China
• north-eastern China.
• hold back the Gobi Desert
• 4,500km in 2074
• driving force 3,600km2/yr of grassland go to
  Gobi
• Economic effect 50 billion is lost /yr.
  agriculture
• Dust storms
• Delays from land erosion and over-farming
• On a political and economic level
• corruption and lack of funds
• nations economy is not constant enough
• Parts completed died off from drought
• Other possible project planting trees in other
• places in the Flexible Mechanisms-system as
• determined by the Kyoto Protocol

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Africa

• Senegal
• fight and boost economy
• economic project from gum arabic trees,.
• Senegal to Djibouti plant 15km wide forests
• Anticipated effects windbreaks minimize soil
  erosion
• Projects Cause desertification
• Artificial water points into the Kalahari within
  Botswana
• Erection of veterinary fences
• Southern Kalahari within South Africa/Bophuthatswa
  na
• Plan
• Reduce land animals
• Let vegetation re-grow.
• Challenge Ensure promising soil conditions.
• reseeding can be used
• Mulching
• increases soil
• lowers evaporation
• Suppresses weed growth
• Inhibits erosion

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Policy
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Implementation

• The use of a National Action Plan
• Allows the host nation to control the plan
• Empowers the Host nation to fix own problems
• Allows extra flexibility

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Use of NAP

• The first part of the NAP outlines what efforts
  the nation has already attempted
• Identifies what is causing the problems.
• Socioeconomic
• Environmental
• Climate
• Social

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What has been done

• NAP outlines what programs are already enacted
• If they failed why?

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How to fix the problem

• The NAP then outlines how to fix the problem
• How to fund the efforts
• How to organize local efforts.
• What needs to be done, to avid hyperextension of
  recourses.

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Conclusions and Solutions
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Desertification

• Productive land becoming a desert because of
• Land Mismanagement
• Climate Change

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Climate Change

• Causes
• Global warming..?
• Solutions
• Cloud seeding, weather control.
• Problems
• Because of dry climates this could cause
  salinization and or salt flats.

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Land Mismanagement

• Causes
• Man, Cattle
• Solutions
• Obtain alternative food source for cattle
• Find a different livestock that is kinder on the
  environment
• Education to teach better agricultural techniques
• Problems
• Funding

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Land Mismanagement Pt2

• Solutions
• Addition of new plants to the ecosystem
• Breeding plants to be more adaptable to the dry
  climate and resistant to salinization
• Problems
• This could disrupt the natural ecosystem even
  further
• Funding