Desertification – Climate Change or Human Influences?

The first 200 words of this essay...

Christopher Allan geographical issues

Candidate No.- 972853488 rural Land degradation

Centre No. - 8636128

Desertification - Climate Change or Human Influences?

The Sahara is the largest of the deserts on the planet and expands from the west to east coast of northern Africa. Inhabitants have evolved to survive the harsh climate of the desert, however they now have to cope with the sprawl of the Sahara into the Sahel - Desertification.

There are contrasting opinions on the overall cause of the land degradation; some believe it is due mostly to the influence of humans and others consider changes in the climate to be primarily responsible for the spread of the desert.

There are four main human interactions that are said to lead to desertification: overcultivation, overgrazing, deforestation and poor irrigation. These are influenced by population change and changes in social and economic conditions.

Alan Grainger, author of 'Desertification: How people make deserts, how people can stop, and why they don't ', is a strong believer in the irresponsibility of mans actions in the spread of the desert. He states...

"Drought triggers off a crisis, but

does not itself cause