Each 17 June is commemorated by the United Nations (UN) as the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.
The noun desertification means the process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture. The noun drought refers to an extended time of abnormally low rainfall, leading to water shortages.
The Thammasat University Library collection includes several books about desertification and drought.
As the UN website explains,
The Decay of the Land
Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas. It is caused primarily by human activities and climatic variations. Desertification does not refer to the expansion of existing deserts. It occurs because dryland ecosystems, which cover over one third of the world‘s land area, are extremely vulnerable to overexploitation and inappropriate land use. Poverty, political instability, deforestation, overgrazing and bad irrigation practices can all undermine the productivity of the land.
The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is observed every year to promote public awareness of international efforts to combat desertification. The day is a unique moment to remind everyone that land degradation neutrality is achievable through problem-solving, strong community involvement and co-operation at all levels.
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Convention and the World Day to Combat Desertification in 2019, we look back and celebrate the 25 years of progress made by countries on sustainable land management. At the same time, we look at the broad picture of the next 25 years where we will achieve land degradation neutrality…
What do we envisage in a world where land degradation neutrality provides a solid basis for poverty reduction, food, water security as well as climate change mitigation and adaptation?..
Key Issues
Land & Drought — “By 2025, 1.8 billion people will experience absolute water scarcity, and 2/3 of the world will be living under water-stressed conditions.”
A complex and slowly encroaching natural hazard with significant and pervasive socio-economic and environmental impacts that to cause more deaths and displace more people than any other natural disaster.
Land & Human Security — “By 2045 some 135 million people may be displaced as a result of desertification.”
Achieving land degradation neutrality -by rehabilitating already degraded land, scaling up sustainable land management and accelerating restoration initiatives- is a pathway to greater resilience and security for all.
Land & Climate — “Restoring the soils of degraded ecosystems has the potential to store up to 3 billion tons of carbon annually.”
The land use sector represents almost 25% of total global emissions. Its rehabilitation and sustainable management is critical to combating climate change.
Desertification and the Sustainable Development Goals
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development declares that “we are determined to protect the planet from degradation, including through sustainable consumption and production, sustainably managing its natural resources and taking urgent action on climate change, so that it can support the needs of the present and future generations”. Specifically, Goal 15 states our resolve to halt and reverse land degradation.
Thailand and Research into Desertification and Drought
In February, a research article, Reducing Vulnerability to Desertification by Using the Spatial Measures in a Degraded Area in Thailand was published in Land, a monthly peer-reviewed, open access, scientific journal that is published by Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), a publisher of author-pays open access scientific journals. The journal explores land use/land change, land management, land system science, and landscape-related issues. The author was Ajarn Saowanee Wijitkosum, Ph.D., of the Environmental Research Institute, Chulalongkorn University.
The article’s abstract reads as follows:
The process of desertification is complex, involving interaction between many factors, both environmental and anthropogenic. However, human activities, especially from land-use change and inappropriate land use, are the most influential factors associated with the desertification risk. This study was conducted in Huay Sai, a degraded land in Thailand. The Environmentally Sensitive Area Index (ESAI) model incorporating Geogracphic Information System (GIS) was applied to investigate and map the desertification sensitivity area. The study aimed to analyze and assess measures to reduce the desertification risk. This study emphasized three group factors with nine subcriteria influencing desertification risk: soil (texture, fertility, drainage, slope gradient, and depth), climatic (precipitation and aridity index), and vegetation factors (land use and soil erosion). In terms of the required spatial measures to reduce the desertification vulnerability, policy and defensive measures that were closely related to drought and desertification of the area were considered. Three main measures covering soil and water conservation, soil improvement, and reforestation were implemented. The area development and restoration plans have been implemented continuously. The study found that 47.29% of the Huay Sai area was at a high risk, with a further 41.16% at a moderate risk. Implementation of three measures indicated that desertification risk was significantly decreased. Addressing the causes of the highest risk areas could help reduce the overall desertification risk at Huay Sai, where most areas would then be at either a moderate (61.04%) or low (32.43%) desertification risk with no severe- or high-risk areas. The success of the area restoration is from the formulation of a restoration and development plan that understands the local conditions. Moreover, the plan integrated the restoration of the soil, forests, and water together in order to restore the ecosystem so that the implementation was able to solve problems directly.
Its conclusions:
The study indicated that most areas in the Huay Sai study area were at high risk of desertification. The areas sensitive to desertification were identified by three sensitivity indexes: soil, climate, and vegetation. The critical factors affecting the desertification risk were the soil texture and fertility and the land-use factor. The mitigations for restoration were water resource conservation and development, soil conservation and amelioration, and forest conservation and reforestation. The implementation of all three mitigations had a positive impact on the area in terms of reducing the severe and high risk-of-desertification areas and distinctly positive impacts on areas with a moderate and low risk of desertification. The aforementioned mitigations led to a more fertile area. The drought and degraded land showed a significant improvement. In summary, measures to reduce the risk for desertification and drought should consider the main factors that cause the problem. Solving each environmental problem at its source point could help decrease drought and desertification in the area. The success of the area restoration was due to the use of appropriate methods to address the area-specific problems, as well as the consistency between the restoration integration and the spatial problem.
(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)