2004 was the year of combat against desertification
[ES1]. In many countries of the world
people is going to do something to solve this threaten problem. Under the
supervision of the FAO, in the 1994 the major world nations have decided to
create a convention present in each country with the intention to share the
knowledge and expertise on sustainable development and drylands
management.
The objective of the
United Nations Convention
to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is to mitigate the effects of
drought in countries experiencing serious drought and/or desertification,
particularly in Africa, through effective action at all levels, supported by
international cooperation and partnership arrangements, in the framework of an
integrated approach which is consistent with Agenda 21, with a view to
contributing to the achievement of sustainable development in affected areas.
What can we do to stop it?
[E1]
[ES1] [F1]
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The fight against desertification requires the joint
involvement of local communities [E1], governments and all actors of civil
society in the elaboration and implementation of sustainable development and
poverty reduction strategies. Also education and training upon the issue are
important, including increasing public awareness of the problem [F1].
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Alternative energy. With many of the local people
using trees for firewood and cooking the problem has become acute. In order to
gain further supplies of fuel the local population add more pressure to the
depleted forests; thus adding to the desertification process. Solar ovens
are being advocated as a means to relieving some of this pressure upon the
environment. Also, wind
turbines can provide clean energy while serving as windbreaks.
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Natural vegetation banner. At the local level,
individuals and governments have to protect their lands, in particular they must
reduce wind velocity. In areas of sand dunes, covering the dunes with
large boulders or petroleum will interrupt the wind regime near the face of the
dunes and prevent the sand from moving.
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Reforestation. Trees help fix the soil, act as wind
breakers, enhance soil fertility, and help absorb water during heavy rainfall. Because the
burning of land and forests increases dangerous greenhouse gases, planting new trees can help reduce the
negative impacts of resulting climate change.
Realizing
this, the Chinese government has launched the world's largest tree planting
project in an attempt to stop the encroaching desert.
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Restore and fertilize the land. A simple and cheap
way to fertilize the land is to prepare compost, that will become humus and will
regenerate the soil with organic matter. [F1]
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More efficient use of existing water resources
and control of salinization are other effective tools for improving arid lands.
New ways are being sought to use surface-water resources such as rain water
harvesting or irrigating with seasonal runoff from adjacent highlands. New ways
also being sought to find and tap groundwater resources and to develop more
effective ways of irrigating arid and semiarid lands [E1].
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Research on the reclamation of deserts also is
focusing on discovering proper crop rotation to protect the fragile soil, and on
understanding how sand-fixing plants can be adapted to local
environments.
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Intelligence technology. Satellite images and data can be used by
the geographic information systems and completed by the results obtained from
the new methods of collecting soil data using navigation satellites (GPS). These
methods, whose development is supported by FAO, is making it possible to
observe, evaluate and monitor both the bio-physical and the socio-economic
aspects of desertification
What is being done about desertification?
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People of arid zones
has become more careful about what kind of crops they are growing, where they
are growing them, and also they have to be sensible about how they manage
forests so that they contain water in the land rather than allowing the soil to
dry out.
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Over the past decade,
since the United Nations adopted its Convention to Combat Desertification,
governments have become more aware of the need to act. In the wake of
devastating floods in 1998, for example, China embarked on a massive
reforestation campaign to stem the advance of the desert. Other countries have
cut back on the use of fertilizers and encouraged better water management. Time
will tell if those efforts can reverse current trends.
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The idea of "Bridging the
gaps" in Kenya: it has created new partnerships
and strengthened existing ones, so they altogether have proven an ideal starting
point to begin implementing the provisions of the CCD.
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The Jatropha Project of Mali, West Africa: Jatropha
curcas is generally well-known among the populations of Mali and has long
been recognized as a plant of many uses. If carefully planted, Jatropha hedges
not only protect gardens from hungry livestock but also reduce damage and
erosion from wind and water. Traditionally the seeds were harvested by women and
used for medical treatments and local soap production.
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Many important
countries as Canada have begun to provide financial
assistance and promote the exchange of technology and knowledge
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Many government and
non-government organizations provide rural women with engine-driven grain mills
to ease their work of food preparation.
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The use of Geographic
Information System (GIS) technology has become an effective tool with which to
make economic, environmental, and socially sustainable decisions in the prairie
agricultural sector.
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Important research
centres are developing crop varieties that will be better adapted to drought and
potential insect and disease pests associated with climate change. Research is
being conducted, using new
technologies
[E1]
[F1]
such as remote sensing and geographic information systems, to assess risks,
evaluate the state of ecosystems, and to devise new and improved land use
practices to respond to a changing climate.
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The particular
traditional and contemporary land management practices applied in the target
areas have been accessed, in particular their costs and benefits, and the
factors influencing management decisions [E1]
