Desertification does not refer to the expansion of existing deserts. The World Desertification Day is to Combat Desertification and Drought. It is possible to have short-term changes that result in . Defining Short- and Long-Term Drought. South Africa ratified it on 28 September 1997. . Answer:Climatic variations' and 'Human activities' can be regarded as the two main causes of desertification. A multi-criteria approach was proposed to establish the relationship between these pressures and assess their impact on the socio-economical, physical, and biological resources. If the pattern and precipitation deficits last for more than six months, it is typically considered long-term drought. It is caused primarily by human activities and climatic variations. Several studies on the extent and rate of desertification in South Africa have been conducted in the last 50 years. It is caused primarily by human activities and climatic variations. 1) Land and water temperatures cause drought. Consequently, many programmes lack local support or are undermined by conflicting trade and agricultural policies pursued by governments. The central theme is the human causes and consequences of desertification in the drylands of Africa. Drought is a problem in South Africa and it affects farmers. Non-governmental organisations and authorities' willingness to institute drought and desertification combating measures are reviewed, highlighting the role that community action plays in reducing adverse effects in the region. This can be caused by drought, overpopulation, over-farming, deforestation and climate change. . Population increase, cutting trees, over-cultivation, overgrazing and opening up marginal land. Causes of desertification. A recent Southern African Development Community (SADC) report suggests that by mid-2017 four countries will have to declare national drought disasters, namely, the Kingdom of Lesotho, the Republic of Malawi, the Kingdom of Swaziland, and the Republic of . The following case studies highlight the range of threats to and opportunities for sustainable farming. This is why it is so important to consider changes in ET when discussing water savings. Desertification not only affects the local people, but also the rest of the world. What causes desertification in South Africa? major cause, especially in Africa. Drought Follows the Plow (ed. It is the spread of arid areas caused by a variety of factors, such as climate change and overexploitation of soil as a result of human activity. 3. 4. As the world marks Desertification and Drought Day today, I thought I'd share my experience working in climate change, specifically, in one of climate change's most subtle, not so well understood, and deadly manifestations: droughts. The vegetation. Some informal settlements in Cape Town are located on . To understand the underlying causes of declining crop yields, farmers were asked about their decision-making processes and soil management practices. When the water reservoir runs out it will cause mass . Drought, Desertification, and Food Production. NAP takes place. An official website of the United States government. Conflicts and natural disasters forced tens of millions to flee within their own country last year, pushing the number of internally displaced people to a record high, monitors said Thursday. 2. In many areas, planting has not been possible due to 30 to 50 day delays in the onset of seasonal rains resulting in widespread crop failure. Water from wells and other sources are beginning to be rationed out to save reservoir water. (1994). The effects of climate change span the impacts on physical environment, ecosystems and human societies due to ongoing human-caused climate change.The future impact of climate change depends on how much nations reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change. What causes drought? 2002; Blamey et al. Case in point: when images of droughts are shown in news articles, webinar invitations, and the like, all we see is a patch of cracked, dry land. The drylands cover over 40% of the total land area of the world, and in Africa most areas may be arid and semi arid lands (ASALs). In ecological terms, it is a dry period from which an ecosystem often recovers rapidly after the rains return. Oxford Press, New Delhi, India. 1. "The most important cause of the lack of rain is thought to be the strong El Niño of recent years", says drought expert Niko Wanders. The main causes of desertification include: A massive drought had affected the Sahel, the large 5,400-km strip that crosses Africa from west to east, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea. The region currently faces extensive desertification caused by numerous factors. Top 10 Causes Of Drought In Africa 1. (1994). Here's how you know This method was applied at local scale in the palm grove of Draa valley in southeastern . International Conference on Land Degradation and Desertification, Khon Kaen, Thailand. South Africa ratified it on 28 September 1997. Desertification does not refer to the expansion of existing deserts. . reduced water vapour) ridges of high pressure areas which prevent or restrict the developing of thunderstorm activity or … Understanding drought risk in South Africa. Causes of droughts Drought from jmoncur Climate change is cause of Ethiopian drought El Niño as a cause of drought in Australia Global Dimming and drought - Sahel and Maldives examples Causes of desertification Desertification in the Sahel - causes and solutions Effects of droughts and desertification on people and the environment Desertification is a process of degradation of the land. Desertification is the degradation process by which a fertile land changes itself into a desert by losing its flora and fauna, this can be caused by drought, deforestation, climate change, human activities or improper agriculture. It is a legally binding agreement between the partner nations to work together to achieve sustainable land management. Drought has wide-ranging impacts on health, water supply and economic sectors, especially agriculture. These limited water resources are affected by weather extremes imposed by climate variability and change. Drought-related land degradation or desertification poses a huge threat to sustainable land and resource management in the region. Glantz, M.H. 22 Dec 2021. is the process of land turning into desert as the quality of the soil declines over time. And in Africa's Sahel region, bordered by the Sahara Desert to the north and savannas to the south, population growth has caused an increase in wood harvesting, illegal farming, and land-clearing . A drought is an event of prolonged shortages in the water supply, whether atmospheric (below-average precipitation ), surface water or ground water. Desertification is now recognized as a major global environment problem and a cause of hunger and impoverishment and large-scale population immigrations and social dislocation in the drylands of the world of the South, particularly, Sub-Saharan Africa. Short-lived droughts are seldom dangerous; but sequential drought years are. Many countries around the world suffer from the problems . Desertification is, "land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid . dead trees on the banks of a lake during the drought, western cape, south africa - desertification stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images Perhaps no other economic activity suffers more than agriculture during a drought. 20 Dec 2021. South Africa ratified it on 28 September 1997. The Effects of Desertification in Africa Desertification is a process that destroys fertile land. Desertification hotspots include North Africa, Southeast Asia (including the Middle East, India, and China), Australia, and Latin America (the Central and South Americas, plus Mexico). View Academics in Causes of Desertification In South Africa on Academia.edu. Even though in this case there may still be some rainfall, there may not be enough to sustain life. The countries that lie on the edge of the Sahara are among the poorest in the world, and they are subject to periodic droughts that devastate their peoples. Browse 4,083 desertification stock photos and images available, or search for desertification asia or desertification china to find more great stock photos and pictures. Agricultural Losses. Desertification is a process of degradation of the land. Vulnerability to desertification in Africa is assessed using the information on soils, climate, and the previously evaluated land resource stresses. Africa's drought and environmental challenges have caused many societal problems. Its main causes are drought, desiccation and human activities. Linkages to trade patterns that perpetuate poverty and unwise use of resources are discussed. It is caused primarily by human activities and climatic variations. The causes of drought in EA are diverse in nature, as this region is characterised by different geographical factors, regional oceanic circulations and coastal influences (Lyon, 2014; Ayana et al., 2016).The region is a focal point of important geographical areas including the Turkana channel, East African highlands, Lake Victoria and the Red Sea Trench (Lyon, 2014 . Africa is the continent most affected by desertification, and one of the most obvious natural borders on the landmass is the southern edge of the Sahara desert. Hence, understanding and reducing the risks and adverse effects of drought such as yield losses is crucial, as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) states. Causes of drought. The land was left without water and without a blade of grass, and . B. Cape Town was struck by a drought, and has around 70 days of water left in its water reservoir, which happens to be a dam. Drought, Desertification, and Food Production. Africa is an example of an area that suffers from recurring drought and desertification. 2022-05-20T08:02+0200mizzima (en) . Background Worldwide, the arid regions have been experiencing cyclical droughts and devastation due to land desertification. removal of the natural vegetation cover（by taking too much fuel wood）, agricultural activities in the vulnerable ecosystems of arid and semi-arid areas, which are thus strained beyond their capacity. Glantz, M.H. Water shortages are a major threat globally but their impact is more severe in Africa in general and in Sub-Saharan Africa in particular. Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas. View Academics in Causes of Desertification In South Africa on Academia.edu. The effects of desertification are seen in many parts of the world, but is predominantly in India, Australia, Asia and Africa. * PAP Debates the Problem of Desertification in Africa. Change in ecological system, effect on human activities, decrease in crop yield, sandstorms and flooding. He shows that the amount of available water in the region around Cape Town is indeed dependent on El Niño (Figure 2). Landscapes and crops need more water to survive and overall the demand for water increases. Its duration is usually short-term, one to two years. percentage areas in severe drought and severe moisture surplus closely related to the shift of El-Niño - Southern Oscillation towards more warm events since the late 1970s.] These factors include very high birth rates and thus expansion of agriculture into unsuitable areas, uncontrolled tree cutting for a fuel, all connected with effects of climate change and bad government policies. In 2020, "World Day to Combat Desertification" (WDCD) became "World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought", or more simply "Desertification and Drought Day".. 5 The Sahel is a semi-arid transition region that extends across Africa between the Sahara to the north and the wetter regions of equatorial Africa to the south. this can be triggered by: a high level of reflected sunlight, [high albedo] an unusual above average and strength of high pressure systems winds carrying continental, rather than oceanic air masses (i.e. If a weather pattern that results in a precipitation deficit lasts for a few weeks or months, it is considered short-term drought. Effects that scientists predicted in the past—loss of sea ice, accelerated sea level rise and longer, more intense heat . The Eastern Cape is of interest not just because of the severe drought that it is currently experiencing but also because its western parts lie near the transition zone between the summer (most of southern Africa) and winter rainfall regions (southwestern South Africa, Reason et al. An attempt has been made to unravel the changing views on the human causes, this is followed by a brief outline of the intervening plans and actions to stem the problem. [2] It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region [3] and cause harm . This is because the causes of desertification are many and complex, ranging from international trade patterns to unsustainable land management practices. However, there is a lack of objective methods for assessing desertification and land degradation in South Africa, and little research has been conducted on appropriate methods for this on a national scale. A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions that results in water-related problems. Lack of Air Moisture Reduced moisture in the atmosphere can result in less than average rainfall. 4.8/5 (789 Views . drought situation in South Africa For more information: Visit the WRC Drought Portal at www.droughtsa.org.za Background South Africa is a semi-arid to arid country with a highly variable climate with highly constrained freshwater resources. South Africa has a water resource problem and loss of water storage in reservoirs contributes to the scarcity. South Africa ratified it on 28 September 1997. M.Glantz), 9-30. Much of the southern African sub-region has consequently experienced significant delays in planting and very poor conditions for early crop development and pasture re-growth. Causes of desertification. Originally published. African drylands (which include the Sahara, the Kalahari, and the grasslands of . is the process of land turning into desert as the quality of the soil declines over time. A drought can last for months or years, or may be declared after as few as 15 days. . Desertification, a phenomenon referring to land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions as a result of climatic variations and human activities, is considered as one of the most severe environmental and socio-economic problems of recent times. The paper examines appropriate drought mitigating initiatives, linking them to land tenure and land management practices. The threat of land degradation is so widely recognized that the UN established the Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) nearly 25 years ago, in 1994. Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas. 'Climatic variations' and 'Human activities' can be regarded as the two main causes of desertification. The direct causes of desertification can be broadly divided between those relating to how the land is - or isn't - managed and those relating to the climate. Many countries around the world suffer from the problems . whereas over cultivation, inappropriate agricultural practices, overgrazing and deforestation have been previously identified as the major causes of land degradation and desertification, it is in.
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