Read at : Google Alert – desertification
http://www.theenvironmentalblog.org/2012/01/desertification-great-green-wall-sahara/
Created by Estel Grace Masangkay
“The world must start aggressively combating desertification.” So says former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in 2007. Advancing deserts have become an urgent problem for many nations and its citizens. Desertification is another form of land degradation, particular to drylands. Many lush areas and bodies of water have fallen into desertification because of rising temperatures, soil erosion, and various human activities. Overcultivating desert lands strips nutrients from the land faster than it can be naturally restored.
Improper irrigation results in salination and acidification of the soil. According to the book Plan B 2.0 by one of the major voices in environmental issues today, Lester Brown, desertification is the “process of converting productive land to wasteland through overuse and mismanagement…” Wind erodes the smaller particles of the soil – creating dust storms. This carries away important top soil accumulated over hundreds of years. After the topsoil has been stripped, larger particles are exposed to erosion, especially by the wind – resulting in sand storms.
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