Although when talking about desertification, the first thing that comes to mind is the desert, in reality, it is a different process, which has to do with land productivity from an agricultural perspective rather than with the creation of a desert ecosystem, although it is called that because after this process, after going through its most serious phase or level, the desert ecosystem is formed, because that is when desertification begins.
In any case, if you want to learn and deepen a little more in What is desertification, its definition, causes and consequencesKeep reading ecology and we explain everything in detail, examples and photos.
What is desertification: simple definition
The first thing to keep in mind is that It is not the same to talk about desertification than desertification. In the case of desertification, we are talking about the process through which a land goes from being fertile to sterilethat is, it focuses from an agricultural perspective. On the contrary, when talking about desertification, what we are referring to is the process by which a territory becomes a desert, without this having to do, necessarily, with agricultural processes.
However, it must be understood that the desertification process through which a land becomes sterile, it is the first step before desertification, since, being a sterile soil in which Vegetation does not growthe natural process is that the ecosystem ends up becoming a desert. However, it is important to keep in mind that they are different processes despite the similarity of their name and their close relationship.
Main causes of desertification
The Causes of desertification There are several, although, most of the time, they are related to the agricultural activity that the human being exercises in the field. In general, the first element that directly influences is the deforestation of the territorysince by eliminating the mass of trees and shrubs, the ground is impoverished and suffers more the action of erosion by destroying the vegetation cover that is formed from the leaves of the trees.
On the other hand, one of the elements that directly influences the soil desertification It is a misuse of water. In this sense, the Overexploitation of aquifersas well as Overirrigationcan lead to the destruction of fertile soils, since the lack of water, or the excessive salinization of high and continuous irrigation, ends up breaking the water balance of the terrain.
In addition, the abuse of agricultural use of soils can also lead to desertification of the land. When monocultures are practiced and not enough fallowing time is left to the soils, this ends up leading to the loss of minerals and other elements necessary for the correct growth of the plants, which ends up transformed the soils that were previously fertile in sterile.
Consequences of desertification
Keep in mind that not all levels or degrees of desertification They are the same. Usually, they are considered that there are 3 types of desertification according to its severity when cataloging a soil as in process or risk of desertification:
- Moderate desertification: In this case, it is considered that the agricultural production of the land has decreased between 10% and 25% of its original productivity.
- Severe desertification: Severe desertification occurs when the process is between a loss of land productivity between 25% and 50%.
- Very severe desertification: Finally, very severe desertification occurs when the loss of agricultural production is at more than 50%, which entails the manifestation of the first signs of desertification (converting into a desert), such as the formation of dunes or the presence of arid and completely dry terrain. Know more about this type of environments with this other article on a close -related concept, what drought, its causes and consequences is.
The Immediate consequences of desertification It is the inability to cultivate anything in the affected soils, which entails problems when having sufficient foods for the population. In addition, another of the problems that these soils present is their great erosion, which, in case of copious rains, are not able to retain water, which often ends in the form of torrents, detachments, landslides, floods and large personal and material losses.
Possible solutions for desertification
There are different ways to counteract this process that have been successfully applied in different places. However, The measure that has been more effective It has been Reforestationsince, when recovering the tree mass, the process of creation of the vegetation cover that serves as a soil support is also recovered, which also allows the growth of smaller plants that contribute to the wealth and solidity of the soil in front of erosion.
On the other hand, the Elimination of monocultures in favor of polyculturesas well as certain agriculture techniques such as The fallow or fertilization with natural composts From the affected areas, they have led to good results when stopping the desertification process. However, these types of techniques, despite their good results, have been shown as insufficient when avoiding or reversing the process, so, without a doubt, the best possible solution, remains the reforestation of the land adjacent to the cultivation fields.
If you want to read more articles similar to Desertification: definition, causes and consequenceswe recommend that you enter our category of other environment.
