Read at : Google Alert – desertification
http://thegreatindiandream.org/article.aspx?id=49
Challenges & Opportunities
Bhim Adhikari, Programme Officer (Dryland Ecosystems), UNU-INWEH |
Drylands cover 40% of global land area and support almost one third of the world’s population (Adeel et al., 2008). Further, they feature some of the world’s fastest growing populations which have placed increasing pressures on these fragile ecosystems (Boone et al., 2007). Land degradation has become one of the pressing issues in drylands that has a greater drag on economies that are heavily dependent on the agricultural sector (Alfsen et al., 1997). Poor management of land is one of the major causes of land degradation. Up to 71 percent of the world’s grasslands are reported to be degraded to some extent as a result of overgrazing, salinization, alkalinization, acidification and other processes (FAO/LEAD, 2006). Grasslands and rangelands in arid, semi-arid and sub-humid areas are particularly affected (Safriel, et al., 2005). The impact of land degradation has direct implications on foregone income and decreased food security (Barbier and Bishop, 1995). For example, it has been noted that the annual cost of degradation in the Sub-Saharan African countries is more or less equivalent to their mean agricultural growth thereby limiting the scope of rural development (Requier-Desjardins, 2006).
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment highlighted the fact that degradation of dryland ecosystems will have negative impacts on biodiversity hotspots as well as human well-being through the loss of ecosystem services (MA, 2005). In many areas, farmers have been forced to place an emphasis on crops that are only economically viable which has reduced the resilience of these ecosystems to drought and other external factors (Safriel and Adeel, 2005). The population dynamics of the drylands combined with the limited supply of resources and unsuitable agricultural techniques has lead to severe poverty, desertification and ultimately reduced the welfare in these regions.
Socio-Economic Challenges in Drylands
Dryland ecosystems are defined as “terrestrial areas where climate is classified as dry sub-humid, semi-arid, arid and hyper arid”. They are characterized by high temperatures and solar radiation and low levels of precipitation which leads to high rates of evapotranspiration.
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