Cause of Desertification

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Online Geo file SEPTEMBER 2008 576 John Rutter CAUSES OF DESERTIFICATION Strictly speaking, desertification should perhaps be defined as the making of a desert, but there is considerable disagreement amongst scientists over what exactly the term means – the internet has over 100 different definitions. Confusion arises because nobody seems sure of the exact causes of desertification, or what the most important causes are. Chinese scientist Zhu, for instance, said ‘desertification is an environmental degradation process created as a result of the influence of excessive human activities’, defining the process as an extreme form of man-made land degradation, but completely missing the influence of climate change. Scientists are reluctant to put their necks on the line and say exactly why desertification occurs. The situation has not been helped by media reports over the last 30 years that have exaggerated the growth of the Sahara every time there is a new drought in Africa. The expansion and contraction of the world’s arid areas is a situation that has been going on for millennia, but nowadays, with the increasing world population, more people than ever are at risk. The UN has issued perhaps the simplest definition when it says: ‘Desertification is the ... destruction of the biological potential of the land which can ultimately lead to desertlike conditions’. This definition leaves open the causes of desertification and both human and natural processes can be examined for their respective contributions. A global problem According to the UN, desertification puts at risk the health and well-being of more than 1.2 billion people in more than 100 countries. Other countries face indirect consequences, such as mass immigration from desertified areas. Often its most severe influence is seen in the damaging

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