It has been widely accepted that high land use intensity contributes to sandy desertification in Northern China. However, it is surprising that it is even not easy to find an explicit definition and proper indicator for the term âland use intensityâ in the sandy desertification related literatures.
Vegetation coverage is an indicator used for exploring the growth of vegetation, which has attracted attention from ecologists owing to its significant role in ecological conservation and restoration. As an important component of the terrestrial ecosystem, changes in vegetation coverage reflect changes in the environment, especially with respect to arid areas. A change of vegetation coverage will trigger desertification, degradation of the eco-environment, and regional climate change.
The Mediterranean region has been regarded as a critical hotspot for desertification due to the impact of soil degradation, the land‐use changes and the climate variations. Few large‐scale studies have been devoted to analyse trends in land sensitivity to desertification in the northern Mediterranean basin. The present paper contributes to this deserving issue by quantifying the level of land sensitivity to desertification in Italy at seven points between 1960 and 2010 at a fine spatial scale.
Sediments deposited by (paleo) flash floods can hold valuable information on processes of environmental change, land degradation or desertification. In order to assess the suitability of flash flood deposits as proxies for land degradation, we monitored a representative gully segment in North Ethiopia (Ashenge catchment), investigated a sequence of alluvial debris fans downstream of this segment and dated a neighbouring subaquatic debris fan using short‐lived ²¹⁰Pb isotope counting.
A very effective tool to combat desertification is revegetation. Promising species for this purpose are the evergreen shrubs of the genus Atriplex. The objective of the research was to study the growing responses of Atriplex halimus under different thermal regimes and to evaluate the biomass accumulation of selected clones. The test was carried out in four sites of Sardinia Island (Italy) characterized by different latitude, altitude and air temperature trends along the year. In every site, potted plants of five clones of A.
It took scientists more than three decades to transform a perceived desertification crisis in the Sahel into a non-event. Looking beyond the Sahel, the chapters in this book provide case studies from around the world that examine the use and relevance of the desertification concept.
The study region is one of the most endangered area from wind erosion in the country. This process, coupled with recurrent droughts in last decades and the mishandling of productive practices have generated desertification. This study presents a review of the interaction of these processes based on literature, field survey and perception of producers. Recommendations for rehabilitation are proposed. The area covers 6.5 million hectares, hosting in 2002: 550,000 people and 7,825 farms in irrigated and non-irrigated lands. Irrigated lands are devoted to agricultural production.
Les Paysages de l’Afrique de l’Ouest : Une Fenêtre sur un Monde en Pleine Évolution dresse un tableau fascinant des transformations de l’environnement naturel de l’Afrique de l’Ouest. Utilisant des images collectées par des satellites orbitant à des centaines de kilomètres au-dessus de la Terre, cet atlas décrit quatre décennies de rapides changements environnementaux.
Marrakech, 11 November 2016 – A new report launched today by the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) reveals the crucial role the world’s drylands play in buffering the negative impacts of climate change, land degradation and drought.
This publication will present efforts by FAO and partners on mapping the intervention area of the Great Green Wall initiative and restoration opportunities based on data gathered through Collect Earth and in support of presenting FAO's effort at COP22 in Marrakech on 14 November 2016.
Land is front and center of the sustainable
development and climate change debates. A
goal dedicated to Land Degradation Neutrality
(LDN) (see Box 1) was endorsed in 2015 by the
United Nations (UN) General Assembly as part
of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
2015–2030 framework, following on from the
UN’s Millennium Development Goals of 2000
(UN General Assembly, 2015). SDG 15 aims to
“protect, restore and promote sustainable use
of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage
