The economics of desertification, land degradation, and drought. In addition, six case studies from the dry lands that encompass a range of land degradation causal processes and ecosystems have been carried out for the states of gujarat, uttarakhand, madhya. Many indices and indicators are available to assist in the quantitative assessment of drought severity. In this study, we determine the costs of land degradation for the country. How to fight desertification and drought at home and away. A framework for tackling drought and land degradation lasyre. The jrc studies different aspects of these coupled humanenvironmental phenomena by monitoring and assessing desertification, land degradation and drought dldd from regional to global scales. At its past sessions, the african ministerial conference on the environment has adopted decisions on land degradation and desertification, including land as natural capital. The health impacts of desertification and drought pdf, 1. Some old some new drivers of land degradation at a global scale.
A framework for understanding environmental problems such as drought and land degradation is suggested, which seeks a better definition of environmental problems. If it is degraded, it cannot perform that function. Desertification is defined by the united nations convention to combat desertification unccd 89 as land degradation in arid, semiarid and dry subhumid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities. Drought, desertification and the nigerian environment. The impact of climate change, desertification and land. Rationale soil degradation by human beings affects quality of life for living organisms, it is a process going faster as soil conservation and rehabilitation.
Land restoration is the cheapest and most effective solution to improved water storage, mitigating impacts of drought and addressing biodiversity loss. According to a recent study titled, the economics of desertification, land degradation and drought. World day to combat desertification and drought is a unique event that remind people in the world that land degradation neutrality can be achieved when there will be cooperation at all levels. Desertification includes land degradation in arid, semiarid and dry sub humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities. Many scientists prefer to use the latter terms because, unlike deserti. Seventy percent of the worlds drylands excluding hyperarid deserts, or some 3,600 million hectares, are degraded. Modelling nutrient flows in a simplified local food. While drought is often associated with land degradation, it is a. Desertification, land degradation and drought in perspective unccd. Amplification of the north american dust bowl drought. World day to combat desertification and drought 2019. A framework for tackling drought and land degradation. I was also pleased to note that even before this convergence effort among the da, denr, dost, and dar, a dost concerned unit, that is, pcarrd, has already been actively involved in related s and t activities. Da project strengthening national capacities to manage water scarcity and drought in west asia and north africa.
Drought is linked to land degradation in several ways. Humaninduced land degradation is likely to have not only contributed to the dust storms of the 1930s but also ampli. Desertification on the other hand is defined as a process of land degradation in arid, semiarid and dry subhumid areas, resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human. Ethiopias farmers fight devastating drought with land restoration. Stocktaking understanding desertification, land degradation and drought dldd land is a vital resource for producing food and other ecosystem goods and services including conserving. Pdf drought variability and land degradation in semiarid. Land degradation neutrality international union for. Understanding desertification, land degradation and drought dldd 1. Hence any study of, or proposal to, mitigate drought and land degradation must take account of land use systems and the relationship between environment and society. Causes and impacts of land degradation and desertification. Drought, land degradation and desertification in africa. The country has a wide range of interrelated environmental and development challenges. Land degradation neutrality for water security and combatting.
A drought means a long period of dry weather during which the lack of rain results in a severe shortage of water. This may lead to an accelerated rate of land degradation and desertification which, in turn, is likely to increase poverty. Ethiopias farmers fight devastating drought with land. In this report, land degradation is defined as a negative trend 4 in land condition, caused by direct or indirect humaninduced processes including anthropogenic. Issues brief on desertification, land degradation and. Read this article to learn about the meaning, factors responsible, prevention and control measures of land degradation. This is not difficult to substantiate by historical analogy. Drought impacts are a key indicator of vulnerability. Climate and land degradation the world agrometeorological.
Drought, land degradation and desertification in africa note by the secretariat i. Assessment using remote sensing data and drought indices 19822011 article pdf available in remote sensing 7. The most commonly cited forms of unsustainable land use are overcultivation, overgrazing, deforestation, and poor irrigation practices. Solutions need to be developed and introduced which address both issues simultaneously. Drought is a creeping phenomenon with no universal definitiondefinitions are region and application impact specific. Drought is a natural phenomenon identified as an extended period of dry weather, creating a scarcity of water in a particular region. Understanding desertification, land degradation and drought dldd. The change in the characteristic and quality of soil which adversely affect its fertility is called as degradation.
Soil degradation a major threat to humanity summary soil degradation needs to be recognised, alongside climate change, as one of the most pressing problems facing humanity. Desertification is land degradation in arid, semiarid, and dry subhumid areas, collectively. Issues brief on desertification, land degradation and drought. The worst situations can be found in africa, which is threatened because the land degradation processes affect about 46 percent of the whole continent and create a health risk to people living in the regions far beyond the affected areas. Rainfall variability is an important factor in dryland climates47. Drought has been shown to be one of the extreme climatic stresses that contribute to land degradation processes48. Deserts are among the fragile ecosystems addressed by agenda 21, and combating desertification and drought is the subject of chapter 12. Environment desertification and drought in australia. Extent and rate of land degradation global assessment of land degradation is not an easy task, and a wide range of methods are used, including expert judgement, remote sensing and modeling. Soil degradation affects stability and sustainability of food production and generates. Drought variability and land degradation in semiarid regions. Recommendations on priorities of lldcs on climate change, desertification, land degradation and drought what has emerged from this study is that there is an imperative need to give lldcs special attention in as far as the issues of climate change, land degradation and desertification are concerned. A more indepth definition of drought includes four sub definitions including meteorological, hydrological, agricultural and socioeconomic drought.
The aim of this paper is to reassess the land degradation and desertification problem in south africa. The direct effect of desertification on land degradation is either decrease of land productivity or the complete abandonment of agricultural land, which ultimately lead to the food crisis experienced in many arid and semiarid regions especially africa. Recognizing that desertification land degradation and drought undermines health, development and prosperity in all regions and acknowledging that dryland ecosystems are areas of special focus, deeply concerned that the impacts of desertification land degradation and drought are felt most keenly by vulnerable people. Issues brief on desertification, land degradation and drought dldd a. Desertification, land degradation and drought sustainable. Projected increases in temperature and the severity of drought events across some. However, the pressures on land both anthropogenic and environmentinduced are leading to its degradation. The impacts of climate change, desertification, land degradation and drought. Drought timing and primary productivity in a semiarid.
Managing land better and massively scaling up land rehabilitation are essential for building drought resilience and water security. Economic and social impacts of desertification, land. We hereby affix our signature this 12th day of august 2004 at the dusit hotel nikko, makati city, philippines. Different responses of functional groups to drought timing indicate that future studies should not neglect. Economics of desertification, land degradation and drought in. Land is an important natural resource that underpins most development. The impacts of environmental change are likely to be most serious in the dry lands. Food security and nutrition and sustainable agriculture, global.
Desertification has been defined as land degradation in arid, semiarid, and dry subhumid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities11. Jonathan davies, masumi gudka, peter laban, graciela metternicht, sasha alexander. The effects of environmental degradation are such that, even sufficient rainfalls do not adequately solve the problem as they contribute to further erosion in a land whose vegetative. The south african weather service defines a drought as a period of 12 moths when total rain received is below 75% of the average. The raging drought continues to choke a society that has already been weakened by shrinking pasture for livestock wellbeing and declining rural family income. Penny environmental and developmental consultantpractitioner, cape town, south africa keywords. Climatic parameters have both a direct and indirect impact on many land degradation processes, especially through their impact on vegetation and soil conditions. Without the assistance of the united nations environment programme and other members of the international community this document would have been incomplete and i take this time. Combating desertification, drought, and various forms of land degradation are among the priorities being addressed. Land degradation and desertification rates per minute causes. The nature, extent and causes of land degradation in south.
According to the united nations, drought causes more deaths and displacement of. Land is a vital resource for producing food and other ecosystem goods. Land degradation is a major problem in africa, where with 65% of arable land and 30% of grazing land have already been lost. Pdf effectiveness of the strategies to combat land degradation. There is direct relationship between drought, desertification and food security. Land is a vital resource for producing food and other ecosystem goods and services including. Human activity can increase the impacts of drought, and drought can escalate land degradation eu science hub 2019.
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