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{{distinguish|NLRB election procedures#Decertification elections{{!}}Decertification|Desertion}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
[[File:Desertification map.png|thumb|upright=1.75|World map from 1998 showing global desertification vulnerability]]'''Desertification''' is a type of [[land degradation]] in [[drylands]] in which biological productivity is lost due to natural processes or induced by human activities whereby fertile areas become arid.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-23 |title=Desertification {{!}} Description, Causes, & Impacts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/science/desertification |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref><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> It is the spread of arid areas 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 include the [[Sahel]] region in Africa, the [[Gobi Desert]] and [[Mongolia]] in Asia as well as parts of [[South America]]. [[Drylands]] occupy approximately 40–41% of Earth's land area and are home to more than 2 billion people.<ref name=":5" />▼
[[File:Desertification map.png|thumb|upright=1.75|World map from 1998 showing global desertification vulnerability]]
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Effects of desertification include [[Sand storm|sand and dust storms]], [[Food security|food insecurity]], vegetation patterning and increasing poverty. There are many possible countermeasures such as [[reforestation]], [[soil restoration]], [[desert reclamation]] and managed [[grazing]].
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==Geographic areas affected==
[[Drylands]] occupy approximately 40–41% of Earth's land area and are home to more than 2 billion people.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |title=Governing global desertification: linking environmental degradation, poverty and participation |date=2006 |publisher=Ashgate [u.a.] |isbn=978-0-7546-4359-3 |editor-last=Johnson |editor-first=Pierre-Marc |series=Global environmental governance series |location=Aldershot |editor-last2=Johnson |editor-first2=Pierre Marc}}</ref><ref name=":5">[https://unemg.org/2018/images/emgdocs/publications/Global_Drylands_Full_Report.pdf
===Sahel===
{{Further|Sahel#Desertification and soil loss}}
The impact of climate change and human activities on desertification are exemplified in the [[Sahel]] region of Africa. The region is characterized by a dry hot climate, high temperatures and low rainfall (100–600 mm per year).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nicholson |first=Sharon E. |date=2013-02-17 |title=The West African Sahel: A Review of Recent Studies on the Rainfall Regime and Its Interannual Variability |journal=International Scholarly Research Notices |language=en |volume=2013 |pages=e453521 |doi=10.1155/2013/453521|doi-access=free }}</ref> So, droughts are the rule in the Sahel region.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Desertification/desertification2.php|title=Defining Desertification : Feature Articles|last=Riebeek|first=Holli|date=2007-01-03|website=earthobservatory.nasa.gov|access-date=2016-11-30|archive-date=2016-12-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201211259/http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Desertification/desertification2.php|url-status=live}}</ref> The Sahel has lost approximately 650,000 km<sup>2</sup> of its productive agricultural land over the past 50 years;<ref>[https://www.thegeographeronline.net/uploads/2/6/6/2/26629356/a116_sahel.pdf
[[File:Village Telly in Mali.jpg|thumb|[[Sahel]] region of Mali]]
The climate of the Sahara has undergone enormous variations over the last few hundred thousand years,<ref name="Lakes">{{Cite journal | title=Ancient Lakes of the Sahara | journal=American Scientist | volume=94 | year=2006 | pages= 58–65 |author1=Kevin White |author2=David J. Mattingly | issue=1 | doi=10.1511/2006.57.983}}</ref> oscillating between wet (grassland) and dry (desert) every 20,000 years<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.mit.edu/2019/study-regulating-north-african-climate-0102 |title=A "pacemaker" for North African climate |author=Jennifer Chu |date=January 2, 2019 |publisher=MIT News |access-date=January 20, 2020 |archive-date=January 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220115093627/https://news.mit.edu/2019/study-regulating-north-african-climate-0102 |url-status=live }}</ref> (a phenomenon believed to be caused by long-term changes in the [[North African climate cycle]] that alters the path of the [[North African Monsoon]], caused by an approximately 40,000-year cycle in which the [[axial tilt]] of the earth changes between 22° and 24.5°).<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite book|last1=Houérou|first1=Henry N.|title=Bioclimatology and Biogeography of Africa|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-3-540-85192-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_Rvs7NkfeLEC&q=Sahara+rainfall+virtually+zero&pg=PA16|language=en|date=2008-12-10|access-date=2020-12-11|archive-date=2023-07-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230730160547/https://books.google.com/books?id=_Rvs7NkfeLEC&q=Sahara+rainfall+virtually+zero&pg=PA16|url-status=live}}</ref> Some statistics have shown that, since 1900, the Sahara has expanded by 250 km to the south over a stretch of land from west to east 6,000 km long.<ref>{{cite web|author=Christian Bouquet|title=Le Sahara entre ses deux rives. Éléments de délimitation par la géohistoire d'un espace de contraintes|website=Géoconfluences|date=December 2017|url=http://geoconfluences.ens-lyon.fr/informations-scientifiques/dossiers-regionaux/afrique-dynamiques-regionales/articles-scientifiques/sahara-entre-deux-rives|quote=Mais il aurait progressé de 250 km vers le sud depuis 1900 (Mainguet, 2003), et dépasserait donc 9 millions de km² soit 30 % de la superficie totale du continent africain.|access-date=2018-01-25|archive-date=2022-02-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210001607/http://geoconfluences.ens-lyon.fr/informations-scientifiques/dossiers-regionaux/afrique-dynamiques-regionales/articles-scientifiques/sahara-entre-deux-rives|url-status=live}}</ref>
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Another major area that is being impacted by desertification is the [[Gobi Desert]] located in Northern China and Southern Mongolia. The Gobi Desert is the fastest expanding desert on Earth, as it transforms over {{convert|3600|km2|sqmi|abbr=off}} of grassland into wasteland annually.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rechtschaffen |first=Daniel |title=How China's Growing Deserts Are Choking The Country |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielrechtschaffen/2017/09/18/how-chinas-growing-deserts-are-choking-the-country/ |access-date=2022-08-28 |website=Forbes |language=en |archive-date=2022-02-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216110308/https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielrechtschaffen/2017/09/18/how-chinas-growing-deserts-are-choking-the-country/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Although the Gobi Desert itself is still a distance away from [[Beijing]], reports from field studies state there are large sand dunes forming only 70 km (43.5 mi) outside the city.<ref>{{cite report|last=Welker|first=Lauren|url=http://www.geo.utexas.edu/courses/371c/project/2009/Welker_Desertification.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140124101958/http://www.geo.utexas.edu/courses/371c/project/2009/Welker_Desertification.pdf |archive-date=2014-01-24 |url-status=live |title=The Desertification of the Gobi Desert and Its Effect on Beijing |date=2009 |type=Unpublished manuscript |publisher=University of Texas-Austin School of Geosciences}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-03-25 |title=Gobi Desert: A Complete Guide to East Asia's Largest Desert |url=https://www.youngpioneertours.com/gobi-desert-guide/ |access-date=2022-04-03 |website=Young Pioneer Tours |language=en |archive-date=2023-07-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230730160548/https://www.youngpioneertours.com/gobi-desert-guide/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
In [[Mongolia]], around 90% of grassland is considered [[vulnerability|vulnerable]] to desertification by the UN. An estimated 13% of desertification in Mongolia is caused by natural factors; the rest is due to human influence particularly overgrazing and increased erosion of soils in cultivated areas.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What Is Desertification and How Does It Impact Mongolia? |url=https://breathemongolia.org/en/news-article/desertification-impact-mongolia/ |access-date=2022-04-03 |website=Breathe Mongolia – English |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-04-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401180828/https://breathemongolia.org/en/news-article/desertification-impact-mongolia |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Han |first1=Jie |last2=Dai |first2=Han |last3=Gu |first3=Zhaolin |date=2021-12-01 |title=Sandstorms and desertification in Mongolia, an example of future climate events: a review |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-021-01285-w |journal=Environmental Chemistry Letters |language=en |volume=19 |issue=6 |pages=4063–4073 |doi=10.1007/s10311-021-01285-w |issn=1610-3661 |pmc=8302971 |pmid=34335128 |bibcode=2021EnvCL..19.4063H |access-date=2022-04-03 |archive-date=2023-07-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230730160551/https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10311-021-01285-w |url-status=live }}</ref> During the period 1940 to 2015, the mean air temperature increased by 2.24 °C.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Han |first1=Jie |last2=Dai |first2=Han |last3=Gu |first3=Zhaolin |date=2021-12-01 |title=Sandstorms and desertification in Mongolia, an example of future climate events: a review |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-021-01285-w |journal=Environmental Chemistry Letters |language=en |volume=19 |issue=6 |pages=4063–4073 |doi=10.1007/s10311-021-01285-w |issn=1610-3661 |pmc=8302971 |pmid=34335128|bibcode=2021EnvCL..19.4063H }}</ref> The warmest ten-year period was during the latest decade to 2021. Precipitation has decreased by 7% over this period resulting in increased arid conditions throughout Mongolia. The Gobi desert continues to expand northward, with over 70% of Mongolia's land degraded through overgrazing, deforestation, and climate change.<ref>[https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/31145/making-grasslands-sustainable-mongolia.pdf
{{excerpt|Gobi Desert#Desertification}}
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=== Increasing poverty ===
[[File:Soil erosion, Southfield - geograph.org.uk - 367917.jpg|thumb|[[Soil erosion#Wind erosion|Wind erosion]] outside [[Leuchars]]]]
At least 90% of the inhabitants of drylands live in [[Developing country|developing countries]], where they also suffer from poor economic and social conditions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2010–2020: UN Decade for Deserts and the Fight against Desertification |url=https://www.un.org/en/events/desertification_decade/index.shtml |access-date=2023-09-11 |website=www.un.org |language=EN}}</ref> This situation is exacerbated by land degradation because of the reduction in productivity, the precariousness of living conditions and the difficulty of access to resources and opportunities.<ref>[https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/publications/The%20Global%20Drylands%20Initiative,%202001-09%20-%20Challenge%20Paper-%20Poverty%20and%20the%20Drylands.pdf
Many underdeveloped countries are affected by overgrazing, [[land exhaustion]] and [[overdrafting]] of groundwater due to pressures to exploit marginal drylands for farming. Decision-makers are understandably averse to invest in arid zones with low potential. This absence of investment contributes to the marginalization of these zones. When unfavorable agri-climatic conditions are combined with an absence of infrastructure and access to markets, as well as poorly adapted production techniques and an underfed and undereducated population, most such zones are excluded from development.<ref name="csf-desertification.org">
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>
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One proposed barrier is that the costs of adopting [[sustainable agriculture|sustainable agricultural practices]] sometimes exceed the benefits for individual farmers, even while they are socially and environmentally beneficial.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Drost|first1=Daniel|last2=Long|first2=Gilbert|last3=Wilson|first3=David|last4=Miller|first4=Bruce|last5=Campbell|first5=William|title=Barriers to Adopting Sustainable Agricultural Practices|issue=6|url=https://www.joe.org/joe/1996december/a1.php|journal=Journal of Extension|volume=34|date=1 December 1996|access-date=21 February 2017|archive-date=22 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222053123/https://www.joe.org/joe/1996december/a1.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> Another issue is a lack of political will, and lack of funding to support [[land reclamation]] and anti-desertification programs.<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=237|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CpYnV45hVRsC&pg=PA237}}</ref>
Desertification is recognized as a major threat to [[biodiversity]]. Some countries have developed [[biodiversity action plan]]s to counter its effects, particularly in relation to the protection of endangered [[flora]] and [[fauna]].<ref>Techniques for Desert Reclamation by Andrew S. Goudie</ref><ref>
=== Reforestation ===
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