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{{distinguish|NLRB election procedures#Decertification elections{{!}}Decertification|Desertion}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
[[File:Global distribution of dryland subtypes based on the aridity index.png|upright=1.4|thumb|Global distribution of dryland subtypes based on the [[aridity index]]
'''Desertification''' is a type of gradual [[land degradation]] of [[Soil fertility|fertile]] land into arid [[desert]] due to a combination of natural processes and human activities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Desertification - an overview {{!}} ScienceDirect Topics |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/desertification |access-date=2022-04-03 |website=www.sciencedirect.com |archive-date=2022-04-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403121044/https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/desertification |url-status=live }}</ref> This spread of arid areas is caused by a variety of factors, such as [[overexploitation]] of [[soil]] as a result of human activity and the [[effects of climate change]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Sustainable development of drylands and combating desertification |url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/v0265e/v0265e01.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170804222104/http://www.fao.org/docrep/v0265e/v0265e01.htm |archive-date=4 August 2017 |access-date=21 June 2016}}</ref><ref name="Zeng L17401">{{Cite journal |last1=Zeng |first1=Ning |last2=Yoon |first2=Jinho |date=1 September 2009 |title=Expansion of the world's deserts due to vegetation-albedo feedback under global warming |journal=Geophysical Research Letters |volume=36 |issue=17 |page=L17401 |bibcode=2009GeoRL..3617401Z |doi=10.1029/2009GL039699 |issn=1944-8007 |s2cid=1708267 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Geographic areas most affected are located in Africa ([[Sahel]] region), Asia ([[Gobi Desert]] and [[Mongolia]]) and parts of [[South America]]. [[Drylands]] occupy approximately 40–41% of Earth's land area and are home to more than 2
Humans can fight desertification in various ways. For instance, [[Soil regeneration|improving soil quality]], [[Reclaiming desert|greening deserts]], managing [[grazing]] better, and planting trees ([[reforestation]] and [[afforestation]]) can all help reverse desertification.
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==Definitions==
definition of the term "desertification." Helmut Geist (2005) identified more than 100 formal definitions.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Geist |first=Helmut▼
|url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315240855/causes-progression-desertification-helmut-geist |title=The Causes and Progression of Desertification |date=2017-10-01 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-315-24085-5 |location=London |doi=10.4324/9781315240855}}</ref> The most widely accepted of these was that of the [[Princeton University]] Dictionary which defined it as "the process of fertile land ''transforming into desert'' typically as a result of [[deforestation]], [[drought]] or improper/inappropriate agriculture".{{cn|date=October 2023}} This definition clearly demonstrated the interconnectedness of desertification and human activities, in particular land use and land management practices. It also highlighted the economic, social and environmental implications of desertification.▼
[https://thengr21.com/%e0%a4%ae%e0%a4%b0%e0%a5%81%e0%a4%b8%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%a5%e0%a4%b2%e0%a5%80%e0%a4%95%e0%a4%b0%e0%a4%a3-2/ Definition of Desert] – That area of the earth where the sum of rain and snowfall is much less than other areas, where the annual average rainfall is less than 25CM. Definition by UNO (1995) – Land degradation in barren, humid and sub-humid areas due to climate change and human activities is called desertification.
▲
▲|url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315240855/causes-progression-desertification-helmut-geist |title=The Causes and Progression of Desertification |date=2017-10-01 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-315-24085-5 |location=London |doi=10.4324/9781315240855}}</ref> The most widely accepted of these was that of the [[Princeton University]] Dictionary which defined it as "the process of fertile land ''transforming into desert'' typically as a result of [[deforestation]], [[drought]] or improper/inappropriate agriculture".{{cn|date=October 2023}} This definition clearly demonstrated the interconnectedness of desertification and human activities, in particular land use and land management practices. It also highlighted the economic, social and environmental implications of desertification. However, this original understanding that desertification involved the physical expansion of deserts has been rejected as the concept has further evolved since then.<ref name="EB2">{{cite encyclopedia
| title = Desertification
| first1 = John P.
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| quote = The concept does not refer to the physical expansion of existing deserts but rather to the various processes that threaten all dryland ecosystems.
}}</ref>
▲}}</ref> Desertification has been defined in the text of the [[United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification]] (UNCCD) as "land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities according to Hulme and Kelly, (1993)."<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hulme |first1=Mike |last2=Kelly |first2=Mick |date=1993 |title=Exploring the links between Desertification and Climate Change |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00139157.1993.9929106 |journal=Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development |language=en |volume=35 |issue=6 |pages=4–45 |doi=10.1080/00139157.1993.9929106 |bibcode=1993ESPSD..35f...4H |issn=0013-9157}}</ref>
There exists also controversy around the sub-grouping of types of desertification, including, for example, the validity and usefulness of such terms as "man-made desert" and "non-pattern desert".<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Geist |first1=Helmut J. |last2=Lambin |first2=Eric F. |date=2004 |title=Dynamic Causal Patterns of Desertification |journal=BioScience |language=en |volume=54 |issue=9 |pages=817 |doi=10.1641/0006-3568(2004)054[0817:DCPOD]2.0.CO;2 |issn=0006-3568|doi-access=free }}</ref>
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Research into desertification is complex, and there is no single metric which can define all aspects. However, more intense climate change is still expected to increase the current extent of drylands on the Earth's continents: from 38% in late 20th century to 50% or 56% by the end of the century, under the "moderate" and high-warming [[Representative Concentration Pathway|Representative Concentration Pathways]] 4.5 and 8.5. Most of the expansion will be seen over regions such as "southwest North America, the northern fringe of Africa, southern Africa, and Australia".<ref name=":52">{{Cite web |date=2019-08-06 |title=Explainer: Desertification and the role of climate change |url=https://www.carbonbrief.org/explainer-desertification-and-the-role-of-climate-change |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210001559/https://www.carbonbrief.org/explainer-desertification-and-the-role-of-climate-change |archive-date=2022-02-10 |access-date=2019-10-22 |website=Carbon Brief |language=en}}</ref>
Drylands cover 41% of the earth’s land surface and include 45% of the world’s agricultural land.<ref name="Burrell">{{Cite journal |last1=Burrell |first1=A. L. |last2=Evans |first2=J. P. |last3=De Kauwe |first3=M. G. |date=2020 |title=Anthropogenic climate change has driven over 5 million km2 of drylands towards desertification |journal=Nature Communications |language=en |volume=11 |issue=1 |doi=10.1038/s41467-020-17710-7 |issn=2041-1723 |pmc=7395722 |pmid=32737311 |doi-access=free}} [[File:CC-BY icon.svg|50px]] Text was copied from this source, which is available under a [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License]</ref> These regions are among the most vulnerable ecosystems to [[Climate change|anthropogenic climate]] and [[land use change]] and are under threat of desertification. An observation-based attribution study of desertification was carried out in 2020 which accounted for climate change, [[Climate variability and change|climate variability]], [[CO2 fertilization effect|CO<sub>2</sub> fertilization]] as well as both the gradual and rapid ecosystem changes caused by land use.<ref name="Burrell" /> The study found that, between 1982 and 2015, 6% of the world’s drylands underwent desertification driven by unsustainable land use practices compounded by anthropogenic climate change. Despite an average [[global greening]], anthropogenic climate change has degraded 12.6% (5.43 million km<sup>2</sup>) of drylands, contributing to desertification and affecting 213 million people, 93% of who live in [[Developing country|developing economies]].<ref name="Burrell" />
== Effects ==
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Desertification often causes rural lands to become unable to support the same sized populations that previously lived there. This results in mass [[human migration|migrations]] out of rural areas and into urban areas particularly in Africa creating unemployment and [[slum]]s.<ref>{{cite book|author=Pasternak, Dov|author2=Schlissel, Arnold|title=Combating desertification with plants|publisher=Springer|year=2001|isbn=978-0-306-46632-8|page=20|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B-i8-DPf6xgC&pg=PA20|access-date=2016-05-16|archive-date=2023-07-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230730161050/https://books.google.com/books?id=B-i8-DPf6xgC&pg=PA20|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Briassoulis, Helen|title=Policy integration for complex environmental problems: the example of Mediterranean desertification|publisher=Ashgate Publishing|year=2005|isbn=978-0-7546-4243-5|page=161|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CpYnV45hVRsC&pg=PA161|access-date=2016-05-16|archive-date=2023-07-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230730161052/https://books.google.com/books?id=CpYnV45hVRsC&pg=PA161|url-status=live}}</ref> The number of these [[Environmental migrant|environmental refugees]] grows every year, with projections for sub-Saharan Africa showing a probable increase from 14 million in 2010 to nearly 200 million by 2050. This presents a future crisis for the region, as neighboring nations do not always have the ability to support large populations of refugees.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Myers |first1=Norman |date=29 April 2002 |title=Environmental refugees: a growing phenomenon of the 21st century |journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences |volume=357 |issue=1420 |pages=609–613 |doi=10.1098/rstb.2001.0953 |pmc=1692964 |pmid=12028796}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Epule |first1=Terence Epule |last2=Peng |first2=Changhui |last3=Lepage |first3=Laurent |date=5 February 2014 |title=Environmental refugees in sub-Saharan Africa: a review of perspectives on the trends, causes, challenges and way forward |journal=GeoJournal |volume=80 |pages=79–92 |doi=10.1007/s10708-014-9528-z |s2cid=154503204}}</ref>
In [[Mongolia]], the land is 90% fragile dry land, which causes many herders to migrate to the city for work. With very limited resources, the herders that stay on the dry land graze very carefully in order to preserve the land.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-08-01 |title=Mongolia's nomadic way of life under threat |url=https://gulfnews.com/lifestyle/mongolias-nomadic-way-of-life-under-threat-1.2259998 |access-date=2023-10-04 |website=gulfnews.com |language=en}}</ref>
Agriculture is a main source of income for many desert communities. The increase in desertification in these regions has degraded the land to such an extent where people can no longer productively farm and make a profit. This has negatively impacted the economy and increased poverty rates.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Stringer|first1=Lindsay C.|last2=Dyer|first2=Jen C.|last3=Reed|first3=Mark S.|last4=Dougill|first4=Andrew J.|last5=Twyman|first5=Chasca|last6=Mkwambisi|first6=David|title=Adaptations to climate change, drought and desertification: local insights to enhance policy in southern Africa|journal=Environmental Science & Policy|volume=12|issue=7|pages=748–765|doi=10.1016/j.envsci.2009.04.002|year=2009|bibcode=2009ESPol..12..748S }}</ref>
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==Geographic areas affected==
[[Drylands]] occupy approximately 40–41% of Earth's land area and are home to more than 2
===Sahel===
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[[Lake Chad]], located in the Sahel region, has undergone desiccation due to water withdrawal for irrigation and decrease in rainfall.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Okpara |first1=Uche T. |last2=Stringer |first2=Lindsay C. |last3=Dougill |first3=Andrew J. |date=November 2016 |title=Lake drying and livelihood dynamics in Lake Chad: Unravelling the mechanisms, contexts and responses |journal=Ambio |volume=45 |issue=7 |pages=781–795 |bibcode=2016Ambio..45..781O |doi=10.1007/s13280-016-0805-6 |pmc=5055484 |pmid=27371137}}</ref> The lake has shrunk by over 90% since 1987, displacing millions of inhabitants.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jiang |first=Ingrid |date=2022-08-12 |title=A Remarkable Size Shrinking in Lake Chad |url=https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/e63a90f8552d4e5f98f4c56a56c06f9d |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=ArcGIS StoryMaps |language=en-ca}}</ref> Recent efforts have managed to make some progress toward its restoration, but it is still considered to be at risk of disappearing entirely.<ref name="Remote sensing appraisal of Lake Ch">{{cite journal |last1=Onamuti |first1=Olapeju Y. |last2=Okogbue |first2=Emmanuel C. |last3=Orimoloye |first3=Israel R. |date=8 November 2017 |title=Remote sensing appraisal of Lake Chad shrinkage connotes severe impacts on green economics and socio-economics of the catchment area |journal=Royal Society Open Science |volume=4 |issue=11 |pages=171120 |doi=10.1098/rsos.171120 |pmc=5717671 |pmid=29291097}}</ref>
To limit desertification, the [[Great Green Wall (Africa)]] initiative was started in 2007 involving the planting of vegetation along a stretch of 7,775
===Gobi Desert and Mongolia===
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===South America===
[[South America]] is another area vulnerable by desertification, as 25% of the land is classified as drylands<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 June 2016 |title=Soil Degradation Threatens Nutrition in Latin America - World |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/world/soil-degradation-threatens-nutrition-latin-america |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403121753/https://reliefweb.int/report/world/soil-degradation-threatens-nutrition-latin-america |archive-date=2022-04-03 |access-date=2022-04-03 |website=ReliefWeb |language=en}}</ref> and over 68% of the land area has undergone soil erosion as a result of deforestation and overgrazing.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2018-06-15 |title=Why We Should Invest in Land Management in Latin America |url=https://www.nrdc.org/bio/carolina-herrera/why-we-should-invest-land-management-latin-america |access-date=2023-09-25 |website=www.nrdc.org |language=en}}</ref> 27 to 43% of the land areas in Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru are at risk due to desertification. In Argentina, Mexico and Paraguay, greater than half the land area is degraded by desertification and cannot be used for agriculture. In Central America, drought has caused increased unemployment and decreased food security - also causing migration of people. Similar impacts have been seen in rural parts of Mexico where about 1,000
==Reversing desertification{{anchor|Countermeasures_and_prevention}}==
{{See also|Deforestation#Control}}
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=== Desert greening ===
{{Main|Desert greening}}
As there are many different types of deserts, there are also different types of desert reclamation [[methodologies]]. An example for this is the salt flats in the [[Rub' al Khali]] desert in [[Saudi Arabia]]. These salt flats are one of the most promising desert areas for seawater agriculture and could be revitalized without the use of freshwater or much energy.<ref>[http://www.prototype-creation.de/rethinking_landscapes.pdf Rethinking landscapes, Nicol-André Berdellé July 2011] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817063318/http://www.prototype-creation.de/rethinking_landscapes.pdf |date=2016-08-17 }} H2O magazine</ref>
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[[Farmer-managed natural regeneration]] (FMNR) is another technique that has produced successful results for desert reclamation. Since 1980, this method to reforest degraded landscape has been applied with some success in Niger. This simple and low-cost method has enabled farmers to regenerate some 30,000 square kilometers in Niger. The process involves enabling native sprouting tree growth through selective pruning of shrub shoots. The residue from pruned trees can be used to provide mulching for fields thus increasing [[Soil water (retention)|soil water retention]] and reducing evaporation. Additionally, properly spaced and pruned trees can increase crop yields. The Humbo Assisted Regeneration Project which uses FMNR techniques in Ethiopia has received money from The World Bank's BioCarbon Fund, which supports projects that sequester or conserve carbon in forests or agricultural ecosystems.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2011/10/18/sprouting-trees-from-the-underground-forest-a-simple-way-to-fight-desertification-and-climate-change/ |title=Sprouting Trees From the Underground Forest — A Simple Way to Fight Desertification and Climate Change – Water Matters – State of the Planet |publisher=Blogs.ei.columbia.edu |date=2011-10-18 |access-date=2012-08-11 |archive-date=2012-06-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623022554/http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2011/10/18/sprouting-trees-from-the-underground-forest-a-simple-way-to-fight-desertification-and-climate-change/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
The "[[Green Wall of China]]" is a high-profile example of one method that has been finding success in this battle with desertification.<ref>{{Cite web |title=desertification 3D environment |url=https://b2b.partcommunity.com/community/knowledge/en/detail/9815/Desertification#knowledge_article |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228141238/https://b2b.partcommunity.com/community/knowledge/en/detail/9815/Desertification#knowledge_article |archive-date=2021-02-28 |access-date=2020-09-25}}</ref> This wall is a much larger-scale version of what American farmers did in the 1930s to stop the great Midwest dust bowl. This plan was proposed in the late 1970s, and has become a major ecological engineering project that is not predicted to end until the year 2055. According to Chinese reports, there have been nearly 66 billion trees planted in China's great green wall.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-04-21 |title=China's 'Great Green Wall' Fights Expanding Desert |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/04/china-great-green-wall-gobi-tengger-desertification/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813110737/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/04/china-great-green-wall-gobi-tengger-desertification/ |archive-date=2017-08-13 |access-date=2017-05-04}}</ref> The green wall of China has decreased desert land in China by an annual average of 1,980 square km.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hui |first=Lu |date=May 26, 2018 |title=Across China: A guardian of the great green wall against China's second largest desert |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-05/26/c_137207841.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180526094225/http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-05/26/c_137207841.htm |archive-date=May 26, 2018 |work=Xinghua News Agency}}</ref> The frequency of sandstorms nationwide have fallen 20% due to the green wall.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Beiser |first=Vince |date=September 1, 2017 |title=A tree grows in China: can a "Green Great Wall" stop sand from devouring the countryside? |journal=Mother Jones |volume=83 |issue=4}}</ref> Due to the success that China has been finding in stopping the spread of desertification, plans are currently being made in Africa to start a "wall" along the borders of the Sahara desert as well to be financed by the United Nations Global Environment Facility trust.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gadzama |first=Njidda Mamadu |date=2017 |title=Attenuation of the effects of desertification through sustainable development of Great Green Wall in the Sahel of Africa |journal=World Journal of Science, Technology and Sustainable Development |volume=14 |issue=4 |pages=279–289 |doi=10.1108/WJSTSD-02-2016-0021}}</ref>▼
Restored grasslands store CO<sub>2</sub> from the atmosphere as organic plant material. [[Grazing]] livestock, usually not left to wander, consume the grass and minimize its growth.<ref name="Tlovell">{{cite news|url=http://www.newstatesman.com/environment/2011/01/lovell-carbon-ward-climate|title=How fences could save the planet|publisher=newstatesman.com|access-date=May 5, 2013|date=January 13, 2011|archive-date=August 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814221316/http://www.newstatesman.com/environment/2011/01/lovell-carbon-ward-climate|url-status=live}}</ref> A method proposed to restore grasslands uses fences with many small paddocks, moving herds from one paddock to another after a day or two in order to mimic natural grazers and allowing the grass to grow optimally.<ref name="Tlovell" /><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0221-soil_carbon_lovell_interview.html|title=Restoring soil carbon can reverse global warming, desertification and biodiversity|publisher=mongabay.com|access-date=May 5, 2013|date=February 21, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130625040133/http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0221-soil_carbon_lovell_interview.html|archive-date=June 25, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1953692,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100117215802/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1953692,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 17, 2010|title=How eating grass-fed beef could help fight climate change|publisher=time.com|access-date=May 11, 2013|date=January 25, 2010|first=Lisa|last=Abend}}</ref> Proponents of managed grazing methods estimate that increasing this method could increase carbon content of the soils in the world's 3.5 billion hectares of agricultural grassland and offset nearly 12 years of CO<sub>2</sub> emissions.<ref name="Tlovell" />▼
[[File:Great green wall map.svg|thumb|The [[Great Green Wall (Africa)|Great Green Wall]], participating countries and Sahel. In September 2020, it was reported that the GGW had covered only 4% of the planned area.<ref>{{cite news |author=Jonathan Watts |date=7 September 2020 |title=Africa's Great Green Wall just 4% complete halfway through schedule |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/07/africa-great-green-wall-just-4-complete-over-halfway-through-schedule |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220506222825/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/07/africa-great-green-wall-just-4-complete-over-halfway-through-schedule |archive-date=6 May 2022 |access-date=18 December 2021 |newspaper=The Guardian |via=www.theguardian.com |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>]]▼
In 2007 the [[African Union]] started the [[Great Green Wall (Africa)|Great Green Wall of Africa]] project in order to combat desertification in 20 countries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Great Green Wall{{!}}Action Against Desertification{{!}}Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |url=https://www.fao.org/in-action/action-against-desertification/overview/great-green-wall/en/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127153831/https://www.fao.org/in-action/action-against-desertification/overview/great-green-wall/en/ |archive-date=2022-01-27 |access-date=2022-02-27 |website=www.fao.org}}</ref> The wall is 8,000 km wide, stretching across the entire width of the continent and has 8 billion dollars in support of the project. The project has restored 36{{nbsp}}million{{nbsp}}hectares of land, and by 2030 the initiative plans to restore a total of 100
===Better
▲{{Main|Reforestation|Afforestation}}
▲Restored grasslands store CO<sub>2</sub> from the atmosphere as organic plant material. [[Grazing]] livestock, usually not left to wander, consume the grass and minimize its growth.<ref name="Tlovell">{{cite news|url=http://www.newstatesman.com/environment/2011/01/lovell-carbon-ward-climate|title=How fences could save the planet|publisher=newstatesman.com|access-date=May 5, 2013|date=January 13, 2011|archive-date=August 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814221316/http://www.newstatesman.com/environment/2011/01/lovell-carbon-ward-climate|url-status=live}}</ref> A method proposed to restore grasslands uses fences with many small paddocks, moving herds from one paddock to another after a day or two in order to mimic natural grazers and allowing the grass to grow optimally.<ref name="Tlovell" /><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0221-soil_carbon_lovell_interview.html|title=Restoring soil carbon can reverse global warming, desertification and biodiversity|publisher=mongabay.com|access-date=May 5, 2013|date=February 21, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130625040133/http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0221-soil_carbon_lovell_interview.html|archive-date=June 25, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1953692,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100117215802/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1953692,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 17, 2010|title=How eating grass-fed beef could help fight climate change|publisher=time.com|access-date=May 11, 2013|date=January 25, 2010|first=Lisa|last=Abend}}</ref> Proponents of managed grazing methods estimate that increasing this method could increase carbon content of the soils in the world's 3.5
▲[[Reforestation]] gets at one of the root causes of desertification and is not just a treatment of the symptoms. Environmental organizations work in places where deforestation and desertification are contributing to extreme [[poverty]]. There they focus primarily on educating the local population about the dangers of deforestation and sometimes employ them to grow seedlings, which they transfer to severely deforested areas during the rainy season.<ref>{{cite web |date=1997 |title=Desertification |url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/deserts/desertification/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100802200740/http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/deserts/desertification/ |archive-date=2010-08-02 |access-date=2006-06-10 |website=USGS}}</ref> The [[Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations]] launched the FAO Drylands Restoration Initiative in 2012 to draw together knowledge and experience on dryland restoration.<ref>{{cite web |title=Drylands Restoration Initiative |url=http://www.fao.org/forestry/aridzone/restoration/en/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160723220152/http://www.fao.org/forestry/aridzone/restoration/en/ |archive-date=23 July 2016 |access-date=14 April 2016 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations}}</ref> In 2015, FAO published global guidelines for the restoration of degraded forests and landscapes in drylands, in collaboration with the Turkish Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5036e.pdf |title=Global guidelines for the restoration of degraded forests and landscapes in drylands |date=June 2015 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |isbn=978-92-5-108912-5 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423203240/http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5036e.pdf |archive-date=2016-04-23 |url-status=live<!-- |access-date=June 2015 -->}}</ref>
▲The "[[Green Wall of China]]" is a high-profile example of one method that has been finding success in this battle with desertification.<ref>{{Cite web |title=desertification 3D environment |url=https://b2b.partcommunity.com/community/knowledge/en/detail/9815/Desertification#knowledge_article |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228141238/https://b2b.partcommunity.com/community/knowledge/en/detail/9815/Desertification#knowledge_article |archive-date=2021-02-28 |access-date=2020-09-25}}</ref> This wall is a much larger-scale version of what American farmers did in the 1930s to stop the great Midwest dust bowl. This plan was proposed in the late 1970s, and has become a major ecological engineering project that is not predicted to end until the year 2055. According to Chinese reports, there have been nearly 66 billion trees planted in China's great green wall.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-04-21 |title=China's 'Great Green Wall' Fights Expanding Desert |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/04/china-great-green-wall-gobi-tengger-desertification/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813110737/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/04/china-great-green-wall-gobi-tengger-desertification/ |archive-date=2017-08-13 |access-date=2017-05-04}}</ref> The green wall of China has decreased desert land in China by an annual average of 1,980 square km.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hui |first=Lu |date=May 26, 2018 |title=Across China: A guardian of the great green wall against China's second largest desert |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-05/26/c_137207841.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180526094225/http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-05/26/c_137207841.htm |archive-date=May 26, 2018 |work=Xinghua News Agency}}</ref> The frequency of sandstorms nationwide have fallen 20% due to the green wall.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Beiser |first=Vince |date=September 1, 2017 |title=A tree grows in China: can a "Green Great Wall" stop sand from devouring the countryside? |journal=Mother Jones |volume=83 |issue=4}}</ref> Due to the success that China has been finding in stopping the spread of desertification, plans are currently being made in Africa to start a "wall" along the borders of the Sahara desert as well to be financed by the United Nations Global Environment Facility trust.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gadzama |first=Njidda Mamadu |date=2017 |title=Attenuation of the effects of desertification through sustainable development of Great Green Wall in the Sahel of Africa |journal=World Journal of Science, Technology and Sustainable Development |volume=14 |issue=4 |pages=279–289 |doi=10.1108/WJSTSD-02-2016-0021}}</ref>
▲[[File:Great green wall map.svg|thumb|The [[Great Green Wall (Africa)|Great Green Wall]], participating countries and Sahel. In September 2020, it was reported that the GGW had covered only 4% of the planned area.<ref>{{cite news |author=Jonathan Watts |date=7 September 2020 |title=Africa's Great Green Wall just 4% complete halfway through schedule |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/07/africa-great-green-wall-just-4-complete-over-halfway-through-schedule |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220506222825/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/07/africa-great-green-wall-just-4-complete-over-halfway-through-schedule |archive-date=6 May 2022 |access-date=18 December 2021 |newspaper=The Guardian |via=www.theguardian.com |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>]]
▲In 2007 the [[African Union]] started the [[Great Green Wall (Africa)|Great Green Wall of Africa]] project in order to combat desertification in 20 countries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Great Green Wall{{!}}Action Against Desertification{{!}}Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |url=https://www.fao.org/in-action/action-against-desertification/overview/great-green-wall/en/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127153831/https://www.fao.org/in-action/action-against-desertification/overview/great-green-wall/en/ |archive-date=2022-01-27 |access-date=2022-02-27 |website=www.fao.org}}</ref> The wall is 8,000 km wide, stretching across the entire width of the continent and has 8 billion dollars in support of the project. The project has restored 36{{nbsp}}million{{nbsp}}hectares of land, and by 2030 the initiative plans to restore a total of 100{{nbsp}}million{{nbsp}}hectares.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gadzama |first=Njidda |date=2017 |title=Attenuation of the Effects of Desertification through Sustainable Development of Great Green Wall in the Sahel of Africa |journal=World Journal of Science, Technology and Sustainable Development |volume=14 |issue=4 |pages=279–289 |doi=10.1108/WJSTSD-02-2016-0021}}</ref> The Great Green Wall has created many job opportunities for the participating countries, with over 20,000 jobs created in Nigeria alone.<ref>{{Cite web |last=United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification |date=2019 |title=The Great Green Wall Initiative |url=https://www.unccd.int/actions/great-green-wall-initiative |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202120122/https://www.unccd.int/actions/great-green-wall-initiative |archive-date=2019-12-02 |access-date=2019-12-03 |website=United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification}}</ref>
== History ==
{{Further|Historic desertification}}
The world's most noted [[deserts]] have been
Historical evidence shows that the serious and extensive land deterioration occurring several centuries ago in arid regions had three centers: the Mediterranean, the Mesopotamian Valley, and the [[Loess Plateau]] of China, where population was dense.<ref name=":7">{{cite web |last=Dregne |first=H.E. |title=Desertification of Arid Lands |url=http://www.ciesin.columbia.edu/docs/002-193/002-193.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230428120939/http://www.ciesin.columbia.edu/docs/002-193/002-193.html |archive-date=28 April 2023 |access-date=3 December 2013 |publisher=Columbia University}}</ref>
Line 178 ⟶ 176:
== See also ==
* [[Aridification]]
* [[Detention basin]]
* [[Ecological engineering]]
Line 185 ⟶ 182:
* [[Water scarcity]]
* [[World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought]]
* [https://thengr21.com/%e0%a4%ae%e0%a4%b0%e0%a5%81%e0%a4%b8%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%a5%e0%a4%b2%e0%a5%80%e0%a4%95%e0%a4%b0%e0%a4%a3-2/ There are about 14 deserts located in India.]
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