Where land starts to turn into desert
The progressive destruction or degradation of vegetative cover especially in arid or semiarid regions bordering existing deserts. Overgrazing of rangelands, large-scale cutting of forests and woodlands, drought, and burning of extensive areas all serve to destroy or degrade the land cover. The climatic impacts of this destruction include increased albedo leading to decreased precipitation, which in turn leads to less vegetative cover; increased atmospheric dust loading could lead to decreased monsoon rainfall and greater wind erosion and/or atmospheric pollution.
The process of degrading of the biological potential of land from a combination of adverse climate and excessive human exploitation, leading ultimately to desert-like conditions. (Source: United Nations Development Programme, Global Environment Facility, Country Dialogue Workshops Programme, Glossary of Terms)
The process in which potentially productive land is transformed into arid, desert-like territory. A severe form of land erosion.
The process by which formerly productive land turns into desert. Symptoms include increased incidence of flood and drought, declining biomass and soil organic matter, and increased bare ground. Though rainfall may remain constant, plant and animal communities shift to those more tolerant of low moisture, and biodiversity declines. Related terms: biodiversity loss, succession Related pages: " Desertification", " Environmental restoration" Desertification [is] itself only a symptom of a larger problem-the loss of biodiversity (the diversity of species, the genetic diversity within them, their age structure and, in general, the mass of life, or "biomass," present). Day by day, and acre by acre, as an environment loses biomass, diversity of species, genetic variation and age structure, it gradually loses vigor until, like the cancer victim, it dies. When, at death's door, we finally take notice, we refer to the skeletal remains as "desertification."-- Allan Savory
dry land becoming desert, either through a change in climate or through the actions of humans. Intensive farming and clearing trees and other vegetation can make desertification worse.
Conversion of rangeland, rain-fed cropland, or irrigated cropland to desertlike land, with a drop in agricultural productivity of 10% or more. It usually is caused by a combination of overgrazing, soil erosion, prolonged drought, and climate change.
Denuding and degrading a once-fertile land, initiating a desert-producing cycle that feeds on itself and causes long-term changes in soil, climate, and biota of an area.
the expansion of deserts as a result of mismanagement of vulnerable lands such as by overgrazing or overcultivation.
the process of becoming desert either from inappropriate land management or climate change; Environment
The formation of desert in arid and semiarid regions from overgrazing, deforestation, poor agricultural practices, and climate change. Found today in Africa, the Middle East, and the southwestern United States.
The spread of desert-like conditions due to human exploitation and misuse of the land.
process by which land becomes increasingly dry until almost no vegetation grows on it, making it a desert
The process through which a desert takes over a formerly non-desert area. When a region begins to undergo desertification, the new conditions typically include a significantly lowered water table, a reduced supply of surface water, increased salinity in natural waters and soils, progressive destruction of native vegetation, and an accelerated rate of erosion.
The process of transforming and land into a barren desert. Often induced by human activities or climate change.
A process of land becoming more desertlike as a result of human-induced devegetation and related soil deterioration, sometimes aggravated by drought.
When land that has been well vegetated becomes like a desert.
the process by which a semi-arid (dry land) ecosystem loses its capacity for seasonal revival or repair and progresses towards becoming a desert.42 This process causes environmental degradation well beyond its boundaries. It is a mixed event related to natural (lack of adequate rainfall, seasonal variations in evaporation, texture and structure of the soil, topography, types of vegetation, water, and wind erosion) and human-made actions (herd growth, technological interference, slash-burn agriculture). Desertification is a slow-onset type of event.43,44
the gradual transformation of habitable land into desert; is usually caused by climate change or by destructive use of the land; "the dust storms in Korea are the result of rapid desertification in China"
degradation of land seen when moist, tropical areas are clear-cut and soil is exposed to direct sunlight; under these conditions, soil loses nutrient value and erodes because there is no cycling of dead leaves/plant material or roots to hold on to the soil; rainfall causes soil to wash away and eventually leads to infertility of land
Long-term damage to dry lands caused by drought and by human activities such as over cultivation, deforestation, and poor irrigation practices that turn the land into a desert, unable to grow anything. Existing dry lands, which cover over 40% of the total land area of the world, mainly in Africa and Asia, are most at risk for desertification resulting from drought caused by climate change.
A process whereby the productivity of the land is reduced through deforestation, waterlogging and salinization, chemical degradation by nutrient leaching, range mismanagement such as overgrazing, soil erosion and aridity and semi-aridity.
the process by which semiarid lands turn to desert (also called land degradation). It is caused by prolonged drought, during which time the top layers of soil dry out and blow away.
The process by which an area or region becomes more arid through loss of soil and vegetation cover.
process of becoming a desert, either by poor land management or by climate changes
When an area starts to become a desert because the land has not been managed properly or because of climate change.
The creation of a region that is little cultivated, lacking in moisture, nutrients, or suitable temperature and light. Recipe to make a desert, as used in the USA in the 1920's to make the Dust Bowl, and summarized in Ecology by John Cloudsley-Thompson: 1. Chop down the trees. 2. Plough dry, allowing much of the topsoil to blow away. 3. Sow fast-growing non-native grasses. 4. Graze cattle. Soil can be compacted and reduced to desert in 15 years. Alternatively, produce cash crops with a minimum of fallow and natural recovery periods. Cloudsley-Thompson comments, "It has been said that the desert is the cradle of civilization: certainly throughout their existence, people have been turning their birth place into a desert."
The growth of existing deserts or the development of new deserts or desert-like areas due to human impacts or climate change.
The man-made or natural formation of desert from usable land.
is degradation of land characterized by reduced soil moisture and vegetation including crops, and by soil erosion. Like deforestation, desertification can affect climate in several ways, including by altering the water cycle.
The degradation of land in arid, semi-arid and other areas with a dry season; caused primarily by over-exploitation and inappropriate land use interacting with climatic variations.
Land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities.
The transformation of once-productive arid and semi-arid areas into deserts through prolonged drought or continued mismanagement of land and water resources. Désertification
drought, spread of desert
The conversion of once-productive land into desert. The process can be brought on by natural events, such as drought, or by human intervention.
The expansion of deserts worldwide, caused by a variety of factors and practices such as overgrazing, improper soil-moisture management, erosion, salinization, deforestation, and climate change.
the spread of desert conditions into areas were not previously desert. This process most commonly occurs in arid and semi-arid environments.
a process of landscape change usually due to land mismanagement or climate change whereby the land becomes increasingly arid and vegetation is replaced by more dry-adapted species.
A process by which land becomes increasingly unproductive and barren.
Land degradation occurring in the arid, semiarid and dry subhumid areas of the world.
The transformation of the climate of a region toward enhanced aridity. Desertification can result from a decrease in precipitation, as well as land surface changes such as deforestation or overgrazing.