Desertification - 

"The rapid depletion of plant life and the loss of topsoil at desert boundaries and in semiarid regions, usualy caused by a combination of drought and the overexploitation of grasses and other vegetation by people."

Desertification takes place in drylands all over the world (see present day drylands in danger of desertification in the map above). It occurs everywhere but Antartica. It is one of the greatest environmental threats today, because all drylands are threatened by desertification. Around 6-12 million square kilometers (10-20%) of drylands may already be degraded (greenfacts.org). It is difficult to estimate the numbers of drylands undergoing desertification because there have been very broad and few assessments.

Desertification. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.greenfacts.org/en/desertification/index.htm

Current most endangered regions:

• Sonoran Desert (northwest Mexico)
• Southwest United States
• Atacama Desert (South America)
• Kalahari Desert (Southern Africa)
• Most of Austrailia
• the large desert mass made up of the Sahara, Arabian, Great Indian, Taklimakan, Gobi, and the deserts of Iran and Former Soviet Union

Desertification (around deserts). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://confluence.furman.edu:8443/display/GGY230F10/Desertification (around deserts)

According to current research on the future of desertification, this environmental issue will continue as long as mankind continues to live in the way that it does; although there can ways to continue to help prevent it involving social, global and economic management. Ecosystems and Human Well-Being: Desertification Synthesis gives us the following as ways to preserve ecosystems.

• Globalized world with reactive ecosystem management; with an emphasis on equity, economic growth, and public goods such as infrastructure and education.
•  Regionalized world with reactive ecosystem management; with an emphasis on security and economic growth.
•  Regionalized world with proactive ecosystem management, with an emphasis on local adaptations and learning.
• Globalized world with proactive ecosystem management, and an emphasis on green technologies.

Adeel, Zafar, Uriel Safriel, David Niemeijer, and Robin White. "Ecosystems and Human Well-Being: Desertification Synthesis." Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005): 9-11. Web. 8 Dec. 2013. <http://www.millenniumassessment.org/documents/document.355.aspx.pdf>

The use of our natural resources is quite literally bleeding the planet dry. Climate change is also said to be a contributing factor to desertification and this can also be traced back to human kind taking everything that this planet has to offer for their own. Organizations, corporations and greed are at the root of this because people will take far more than they need to survive and leave so little for other life. This is leaving our Earth dry and brittle and in need of more nourishment than we are leaving behind.

There is more we can do as a society to combat this greed and use what we are given in a way that is more beneficial for our planet. 

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“Policies leading to unsustainable resources and lack of supportive infrastructure are major contributors to land degradation. Conversely, this makes public policies and physical infrastructure useful intervention points. Thus agriculture can play either a positive or negative role, depending on how it is managed. This in turn depends on socioeconomic resources available, the policies adopted, and the quality of govern acne. Local institutions, such as community based land use decision making bodies and social networks, can continue to preventing desertification by allowing land users to manage and use ecosystems more efficiently through enhanced access to land, capital, labor and technology.”

Adeel, Zafar, Uriel Safriel, David Niemeijer, and Robin White. "Ecosystems and Human Well-Being: Desertification Synthesis." Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005): 9-11. Web. 8 Dec. 2013. <http://www.millenniumassessment.org/documents/document.355.aspx.pdf>

There are alternatives that can be used as remedies for desertification. Although prevention is the most efficient way to combat it, there are methods for reversesing the effects. 

Reforestation is a method that can be incredibly effective in making a desert into a lush sustainable evironment. Many believe that deserts can not support a large amount of plant life and that this is why they are currently deserts. This is not true. Most desertification is caused my human intervention and plenty of deserts were once very green. 

For example, even old planting techniques can still work in desertified areas. In the Sahara, a group of locals planted numerous amounts of Eucalyptus and pine trees by hand, digging a hole and watering each seed by hand. Although labor intensive, the project succeeded and a once desertified area was now green and supporting life.

Contour trenching is another method used to combat desertification. The method involved digging 1 meter deep trenches in soil parallel to the surface. This type of trenching enhances water balance and prevent water from evaporating and going to waste. 

Education is one of the most important steps in attempting to solve desertification. By teaching people all over the world that there are ways to prevent and reverse the effects of desertification, the world is one step closer to being greener. 

June 17th is World Day to Combat Desertification. The UNCCD and other organizations use this day to highlight the dangers of desertification and what we can all do to help.

Legislation regarding desertification can be hard to come by, but it does exist. China is one of the world's leaders when it comes to anti-desertification laws. China has been hit extremely hard by the effects of desert expansion. Their deserts grow by about 2500 square kilometers per year and have lost 100,000 acres of land to deserts since 1950. Last spring alone, the country was hit by 13 harsh sandstorms, which was a devastating hit to both the people and the economy of China.

With strict guidelines and countrywide government assistance, Chinese officials hope to greatly reduce the spread of deserts and restore once lush green areas to their former status.