Desertification
What exactly is desertification? Unfortunately, there are many responses and many contradicting definitions. Some say that it is permanent, others say it is a reversible process. There are even debates on whether the definition should include human involvement or not. It seems that all that can be agreed on is that it is "the most serious environmental problem facing Africa today" (Nsiah-Gyabaah, Kwasi. Environmental Degradation and Desertification in Ghana pg 27).
At the United Nations Conference on Environment and Developments (Earth Summit, 1992) desertification was defined as "land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry semi-humid areas, resulting from various factors, including climate variations and human activities" ("Desertification," Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential (S J0180). www.uia.org/uniademo/str/j0180.htm). When pondering the terms 'desertification' or 'desertified land' our culture forms mental images of large dunes with sand slowing moving over them like in an ocean. Perhaps a camel or two, baking in the sun. This romanticized idea is far from what scientists call desertification.
In real life desertification looks like an area of hard and cracked earth with sand blowing above. In this scene you are more likely to see a nomad with
emaciated cattle wandering the deserted plane in search of something to eat. Not
too romantic, huh? Desertification is more the "destruction of the biological potential of the land or the creation of desert-like conditions in previously productive areas" (Nsiah-Gyabaah, 28).
There are many reasons for desertification. The two most substantial are the recent droughts in Africa and humans trying to sustain themselves on marginal lands (Glantz, Michael H. Drought Follows the Plow pg 35). More specifically, the reasons for desertification and land degradation include "climate changes, overgrazing, over-cropping, deforestation, and over-exploit...