Copyright of Ilenya Dimech.

1. DESERTIFICATION

2. WHAT IS DESERTIFICATION?
According to the UN desertification is “ land degradation in arid,
semi-arid and sub-humid areas are resulting from various factors
including climatic variations and human activities”.

3. CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF DESERTIFICATION
There are 4 main causes of desertification. These are:
Deforestation
Soil erosion and Degradation
Clearing land for construction
Demographic and economic pressures

4. DEFORESTATION
Deforestation refers to the cutting, clearing, and removal of
rainforest or related ecosystems into less bio-diverse
ecosystems such as pasture, cropland, or plantations. This
cutting of trees is derived my many reasons mainly because of
agriculture. These include:
 Over-cultivation: This occurs when farmers/ agriculturalists
disturb the soil around the crops too much
 Overgrazing: This occurs when animals such as sheep and cows
are continuously fed from the same spot of ground.
Consequently, this does not allow the ground to recover
causing loss in vegetation.
 Poor irrigation Systems: This poorly designed irrigation
system will cause water to be irregular distributed causing
some areas to be either under or over irrigated. This waste of
natural resource cause areas to suffer yield or quality
reductions.

5. SOIL EROSION AND DEGRADATION
 Soil is the earth’s fragile skin that anchors all life on
Earth.
 Therefore, it is one of the most significant resources to
humans. In the past 150 years half the soil structure but
also the nutrient degradation. of the topsoil on planet
Earth has been lost which not only affected
 Degraded lands are also often less able to hold onto
water thus making the land more prone to flooding. This
soil erosion and degradation makes the land more
vulnerable to desertification.

6. CLEARING OF LAND FOR CONSTRUCTION
• Due to the radical increase in world population there
is a growing demand for housing, construction of
roads and airports.
• These can diversely interfere with ground water
resources and affect the existing agriculture.
• Apart from causing pollution because of the
industry, it also increases quarrying activity which
furthermore poses a threat on the land.

7. DEMOGRAPHIC AND ECONOMIC PRESSURES
Desertification is encouraged due to the large production and
consumption patterns rates which implanted a huge burden on
resources such as water, fossil fuel and construction material.
Logging
Logging is the cutting, on site-processing and loading of log
trees on trucks. Since, over the
years, there was a growing demand for products made from
wood logging has increased.
Logging is characterized into 2 categories:
• Selective Logging (selective)
• Clear cutting (not selective – total aggradation of the
forest)

8. Mining
• Surface mining activity causes an
immediate degradation of land which
leads to desertification.
• Subsequently, after these mining sites
are excavated they are left abandoned
without any reclamation measure. The
mining activity generates dust thus
polluting the atmosphere.
• This leads to surface scaling of the
site which consequently reducing the
infiltration rate while the run-off
increases. Because of this hydrological
imbalance of the area vegetation is
further decreased

9. CONSEQUENCES OF DESERTIFICATION
Desertification has:
• Environmental effects
• Economic effects
• Social effects

10. Soil erosion is increased since there are no trees anchoring the
soil therefore it is blown/washed away. Nutrients within the soil is
also removed by wind or water. Meanwhile there is an increase in the
saline content of the soil which makes it even harder for plant
growth.
SOIL EROSION

11. Desertification caused an immediate burden on diverse flora and
fauna. Due to land
degradation, animal spices had to migrate to other areas that
sufficiently satisfied their needs
while others were at risk of extinction. Their disappearance
increases food insecurity
therefore leading to Famine.
Biodiversity decline

12. Desertification leads to major drought. As a result, the crop
production is very low making
food and water very limited. Prices are increased hence people
who are economically
insufficient fall into poverty which leads to famine.
Famine
&
Poverty

13. Climate change, which is partly the result of man’s activity, is one of the major
factors causing desertification. This is all because of the substantial pressure
placed on land resources and direct human interference. Meanwhile, desertification
helps to speed the process of global warming. The removal of trees uncovers the
forest floor which holds moisture. Exposing the soils to the extreme temperature
swings which are very harmful to the land. This the disruption of the water
cycle threatens the land into permanent drought.
Climate Change

14. COMBATING DESERTIFICATION
Raising awareness of the problem
Planting indigenous trees and shrubs
Developing sustainable agricultural
practices
Mobilizing and involving people
Empowering women
Developing rural markets

15. The Convention to Combat Desertification was adopted on 17 June 1994 and in
commemoration of this event “World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought,”
is observed every year on 17 June.
World Day is to raise awareness of desertification and to encourage actions that
would remedy some of the consequences of desertification and prevent further
degradation and loss of soil and water.
Desertification was singled out as a key instrument for poverty eradication in
dryland rural areas.
The International Film Festival entitled ‘Desert Nights - Tales from the Desert’ in
Rome in December 2006 is an example of one such awareness–raising initiative.
Raising awareness
of the problem

16. The benefit of trees is enormous when it comes to preventing desertification or
restoring already degraded land.
The first step in halting desertification is usually the planting of trees to: •
stabilise the soil • protect it from excessive sunshine, strong winds and the
progression of sand • intercept the rainfall and protect the soil from splash erosion
• retain moisture and help local recycling of rainfall – water trickles down through
the canopy and is absorbed by the humus layer • replenish soil nutrients • absorb
carbon dioxide.
In a Concern programme in Afghanistan 132,428trees were distributed protecting
about 800,000 square metres of land. 30,339 fruit trees provided food and
livelihoods.
Planting
indigenous trees and shrubs

17. Agroforestry is a practice which integrates high-value multi-purpose trees and
shrubs into farming systems. Agroforestry systems include alley cropping**,
windbreaks, riparian buffer strips, forest farming, contour ploughing , terracing,
gullies and forestry nurseries.
The trees shelter land and livestock, provide wildlife habitat and control soil
erosion. Leguminous species improve soil fertility, fruit trees provide nutrition.
Riparian buffer zones are areas of forested land adjacent to streams, rivers,
marshes or shoreline, which help to prevent erosion and sedimentation. They also
keep the river cool and this helps to lessen evaporation.
Developing sustainable
agricultural practices

18. The Convention stresses that people who suffer the impact of
desertification, and who best understand the ecosystems in which
they live, must be involved in decisions about how to restore damaged
land and prevent further degradation.
Over the years local populations in Africa have developed techniques
for managing soil and water, domesticating plants and animals, and for
forecasting the weather. Technical innovations are often brought in
from more humid environments without regard for the equilibrium of
dryland ecosystems.
Mobilizing and involving people

19. Women in subsistence economies are the major suppliers of food,
fuel, and water for their families, and yet their access to land is
declining. Investing in women is the best way to increase food
security, reduce population growth and relieve pressure on the
environment.
Empowering women is vital for sustainable natural resource
development. Efforts are needed to train more women in forestry
and natural resource activities in order to enhance their
participation at all levels - from grassroots to international policy.
Empowering women

20. The convention proposes the promotion of drought-resistant and salt-
resistant crops and the development of rural markets. Attention should
be paid to local plants whether they have already been domesticated or
not. It is important to grow a wide variety of plants that are suited to
local conditions. Bio-diversity of crops helps to ensure both healthy soil
and food-security.
system reduces the damage to the land and alleviates some of the
negative impacts of mono cropping.
Developing Rural Markets

21. REGIONS AFFECTED BY DESERTIFICATION
• When we think about desertification, the first
thing that comes to mind is probably some place
in Africa. In fact desertification affects some
168 countries in some way or another. Due to an
increase in global temperature across the globe
during the last couple of decades,
desertification has become an evermore growing
problem. A lack of water accessibility has led to
a severe decrease in farmland. This in return
means farmers financially suffer, and in
primitive countries such as Somalia and Kenya
the economy in general suffers.
• Desertification in general affects some of the
poorest countries, however this is not always the
case.

22. • In California some farmers have completely given up
due to the extreme water shortages. This specific
case affects the world in general, with California
being the largest Almond producer in the world thus
the market price for Almonds has increased.
• Local politicians did came up with plans to help
soften the effects, such as proposing a 25% cut in
urban water usage. This proposition faced fierce
opposition from the citizens themselves and had to
be dropped.
• Some people living in the country side sold their
lands to go live in urban areas, while others had to
resort to illegalities such as drilling wells across the
country side.
Case Study of California

23. One of the most serious cases of desertification is China, having
more than 28% of its land comprising of deserts. Only 7% of its
land is actually suitable for farming, and feeding almost a
quarter of the world’s population from such a small area of land
is virtually impossible.
• China’s desertification problem is similar to that in other
countries however on a larger scale due to the its vast territory.
The Gobi and Takla Makan deserts play a huge role in this
process, mostly due to their vast sizes. Because sand dunes
change their positioning, other areas have been affected.
Sandstorms for instance have left people no choice but to leave
their land, leaving it vulnerable to get quickly claimed by the
desert.
• In other cases across the country severe drought caused farm
land to virtually fade away. Crops were left abandoned and trees
dried up. In return soil dried up and was simply blown off by the
wind, leaving the area lifeless to get claimed by the desert.
Case Study of China

24. • Land degradation has been a problem
since the beginning of humanity.
Unfortunately Malta has one of the highest
percentages of land degradation in all of the
Mediterranean. The two factors which
contribute to land degradation in Malta are:
Land Degradation

25. Due to having a semi-arid climate and an intensely dry summer ,the drought brings
about very high soil moisture deficits. Unfortunately the greatest potential for
land degradation is found in the southern parts of the Mediterranean due
to the arid conditions present. However the biggest factor to land
degradation was periodicity of the precipitation patterns. The summer droughts
of the Mediterranean result in a generally reduced capacity for soil to
withstand erosion from rain splash processes. After the long summer droughts
torrential rainstorms follow, these storms find the soil at its most vulnerable to
erosion.
Climate Change

26. This is a principal factor in land degradation and recently
studies are being done to show historical factors which
could have contributed to land degradation in the Maltese
islands as well as other Mediterranean countries.
Human occupation

27. NOWADAYS THE TERMS DESERTIFICATION AND LAND DEGRADATION HAVE UNDERGONE
SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES IN I THEIR DEFINITION MINUET IDENTIFIES FOUR MAIN THEMES:
• 1. Desertification as a physical process brought by chemical,
biological and physical factors that create desert like conditions
• 2. Desertification as a social process which focuses on humans as
the cause of decreasing agricultural productivity
• 3. Desertification occurring at the moment when land becomes
irreversibly sterile
• 4. Desertification as the diminution of the loss of potential for
sustainable use.

28. LAND DEGRADATION FACTORS
Rural Factors
Recreational factors
Industrial factors
Suburban factors
Urban factors

29. Rural factors are present in every country which has land
degradation. Rural factors centre on the abandonment of the
land, fragmentation of agricultural holdings, emigration and urban
based job opportunities. The demand of land in the Maltese islands
has increased drastically; large areas of land have been re zoned for
urban usage. Other rural factors include field abandonment, fire, and
the increase of job opportunities in industry rather than in
agriculture
Rural Factors

30. These factors centre on the acceleration of urban sprawl. With
tourism growing each year in Malta the construction of oriented
holiday apartments and summer homes have eaten up
considerable parts of previous agricultural land. Some less permanent
factors can be seasonal an example of this is the availability of
parking spaces in summer. Other examples include off road
activities, picnic areas and degraded barbecue sites.
Recreational Factors

31. Industrial factors focus on the site of industries, factories in
Malta are located on the outskirts of existing built up areas. Other
forms of land use in this include derelict fortifications, airstrips,
factories and batching plants.
Industrial Factors

32. Land degradation in this class occurs mostly through the poor
implementation of land use planning policies. One of the more
conspicuous of these is the bypass development, these have been
built due to traffic in Malta and therefore these create new
pressure on surrounding agricultural areas.
Suburban Factors

33. Land degradation is not given any importance in totally
urban areas and little agricultural value can be seen. Most
of the stress on the land in urban areas is created by
pollution, dumping and the resident’s negative perception
regarding greenery.
Urban Factors-Land

34. INTERESTING FACTS
In Nigeria, overgrazing
and over-cultivating are
converting 351,000
hectares of land into
desert each year.
The 2002 drought in Australia was the
worst
in more than a century, blowing away
millions of tons of productive topsoil in
dust storms and crippling crop production
and exports.
More than 8000
tree species, 10%
of the world’s total,
are threatened with
extinction.
250,000 hectares
are being lost each
year in Niger
through
desertification. This
is
equivalent to an
area
about the same size
as Luxembourg.

35. Glenn Abela
Liam Craus
Melaine
Darmanin
Zachary Borg
Ilenya Dimech