Desertification
Natural Background and Human Mismanagement
1st Edition
Published on 6. December 2012
XVI, 306 pages
978-3-642-97253-9 (ISBN)
Description
Controversial, and often discussed with passion and vehemence, desertification is a problem on whose solution the survival of millions of humans is dependent. This book aims at an understanding of what is commonly called "desertification" - a term which has a connotation of irreversibility, spreading and emergence of desert-like landscapes: "land degradation" is proposed to replace it. The purpose is to present what has happened in reality, and what might be done. Illustrative worldwide analyses allow a more realistic evaluation of global land degradation. Each level of technology, excessive or insufficient, creates its own mismanagement. This is reflected in a decrease in soil productivity and eventually land degradation. The benefit to the reader is an awareness of the ecozones which have undergone the most severe land degradation, and a global overview of the phenomena, mechanisms and existing solutions.
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Content
1. What is Desertification?: Definitions and Evolution of the Concept.- 1.1 Definitions of Desertification.- 1.2 The Evolution of the Concept of Desertification.- 1.3 General Conclusion, Chapter 1.- 2. "Desertification" or Land Degradation: Location and Dimension in Time, Vulnerability of Soil and Plants in Drylands.- 2.1 Introduction.- 2.2 Location of "Desertification" or Land Degradation, Threatened Areas and Drought-Prone Regions.- 2.3 Dryness Ratio and Drought.- 2.4 The Droughts of the Twentieth Century Throughout the World.- 2.5 The Vulnerability of Soils in Drylands.- 2.6 The Survival of Plants in Dry or Seasonally Dry Ecozones.- 2.7 General Conclusion, Chapter 2.- 3. Dimensions in Space of "Desertification" or Land Degradation: The Degree and Specificity in Each Continent.- 3.1 Introduction: Global Dimension in Space of "Desertification".- 3.2 Sub-Saharan Africa: Traditional Extensive Agriculture, Unadapted High Technology, and Land Degradation.- 3.3 Egypt: An Example of the Misapplication of High Technology Leading to Man-Made "Desertification".- 3.4 China: A Sophisticated Traditional Intensive Agriculture Beginning to Be Modified by High Technological Methods and "Desertification" or Land Degradation.- 3.5 Transition from Traditional Low Technological to High Industrial Agriculture and Land Degradation in the USSR.- 3.6 High Technological Capital-Intensive Pastoralism and Land Degradation or "Desertification" in a Dry Continent: Australia.- 3.7 High Technological Capital-Intensive Agriculture and Soil Degradation or "Desertification" in North America.- 3.8 General Conclusion, Chapter 3.- 4. Processes Leading to Soil Degradation and "Desertification".- 4.1 Introduction.- 4.2 Physicochemical Process of Degradation.- 4.3Physical Processes of Land Degradation: Water Erosion.- 4.4 Physical Processes of Land Degradation: Wind Erosion; Where Is the Danger?.- 4.5 General Conclusion, Chapter 4.- 5. Prevention and Remedies.- 5.1 Introduction.- 5.2 Possibilities for Overcoming Climatic Risks in Drylands.- 5.3 Avoiding the Threat to Vegetation.- 5.4 Some Solutions to Improve Drylands Agriculture.- 5.5 More Integrated Rural Activities for Agriculture Amelioration.- 5.6 Water Conservation Measures.- 5.7 Maintaining Soil Quality.- 5.8 Training and Research.- 5.9 General Conclusion, Chapter 5.- 6. General Conclusion: The Need for a New Realism.- References.- Author Index.
