Desertification
By: Andrew Augustus
Anne Bragg
What is Desertification
• Desertification is the
degradation of land
in arid and dry
sub-humid areas,
resulting primarily from
human activities.
• Dry soil can be blown or washed away, leaving
infertile soil in its place.
• It can effect areas such as prairies, savannas,
rainforests, and mountains
Causes of Desertification
Drought – Areas that receive little
rainfall are subject to dry lands
Overgrazing – Livestock are
allowed to feed freely on
vegetation without recovery
periods for the plants to grow
back.
What are the effects of
Desertification?
• The effects of Desertification are
– The loss of vegetation. Which will make the
dry lands vulnerable for erosion
– The crops suffer
– Millions of people for example the dust storms
will cause health problems such as asthma
– Increases starvation for animals/plants and
humans
Examples
– Sahara Desert
•
•
•
•
•
A climate change caused lakes and rivers to decrease
Land was harder to farm on
Vegetation died
Livestock died of starvation
Saharan Africans suffered from hunger and became
completely dependant on international food
– The Dust Bowl(1930s)
• The cause of the Dust Bowl was poor farming methods,
cultivation and crop rotation.
• Caused sand storms and shortage of food
Works Cited
• Collins, Jocelyn. “Desertification.” Enviro Facts. 1 Feb.
2001 27 Feb. 2009
<http://www.botany.uwc.ac.za/envFacts/facts/desertificati
on.htm>.
• Pannell, Marjorie. "Desertification." Gale Encyclopedia of
Science. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner.
4th ed. Detroit: Gale Group, 2008. Student Resource
Center - Gold. Gale. Stroudsburg High School. 27 Feb.
2009
• ""Scientific Facts on Desertification." Green Facts. 2005.
Millenium Ecosystem Assesment. 27 Feb. 2009
<http://www.greenfacts.org/en/desertification/>.