SOLUTIONS OF DESERTIFICATION

In order for the effects of desertification to be stopped, the government has to be willing to try and combat the problem, and gain the participation of the population. First of all, prevention of non degraded land must be enforced, so that before rehabilitating any land, it is certain that no other land will be destroyed. In order to rehabilitate land that is already in poor condition, the number of animals on the land must be decreased, so that plants are able to re-grow. Mulching and reseeding in bad areas may be necessary, but these are expensive methods of improving the land. The best and most efficient way of combating desertification would be to enforce good land management in semi-arid areas.

Many organizations have been formed to try and combat desertification. One project is the Eden Project, by the Eden Foundation. The Eden Foundation has a field station loca ted in Niger (North Western Africa), which is researching different ways of revegetating land. Two ways The Eden Foundation has found of revegetating land are direct seeding and natural revegetation. Direct seeding means that seeds are sown directly in the soil, without the need for irrigation or nurseries. Natural revegetation means that plants which have grown from seeds and are dispersed naturally are left to mature. Farmers in the area are shown these two methods and given advice from field workers of the Eden Foundation. This is a basic way for this region to regain their valuable land, and also, set an example for other areas which are in a similar position.

Desertification is becoming a problem that is drawing a lot of attention. One of the larger responses to it seems to be the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD), which has been joined by many countries. Although it is extremely lengthy in description, it is very vague and general. Basically the CCD plans to do the following:

• implement "action programmes" that address the causes of desertification and find measures to prevent and reverse it
• include local communities and the public in general in executing grass roots development type efforts and decisions
• use science and technology to rese arch and fight desertification such as terracing steep hill slopes and satelite monitoring
• combat other social, economic and environmental issues that are related to land degradation as a problem of sustainable development

To see the CCD's objectives outlined in more detail check out the CCD homepage

The World Bank is also overseeing a project to address desertification in the Middle East. Their solutions include establishing grazing lands, wildlife, planting trees and introducing a variety of vegetation that is appropriate for arid climates, and purification of brackish water, all to be implemented through five centres. All of these aspects are important in reversing the effects of desertification.