What is Desertification ? Causes and Effects Of Desertification

Desertification is a progressive destruction or degradation of arid or semiarid lands to desert. It is also a form of  land degradation. Desertification leads to the conversion of the range lands or irrigated croplands to desert like conditions in which agricultural productivity falls. Desertification is characterized by devegetation, depletion of  ground water, salination and soil erosion. 

Harmful Effects of Desertification :

1.Around 80% of the productive land in the arid and semi-arid regions are converted into desert.

2.Around 600 million people are threatened by desertification.

Causes of Desertification (or) Reasons for desertification :

1. Deforestation: The process of denuding and degrading a forest land initiates a desert. If there is no vegetation to hold back the rain water, soil cannot soak and ground water level do not increases. This is also increases , soil erosion, loss of fertility.

2. Over Grazing: The increase in cattle population heavily graze the grassland or forests and as a result denude the land area. The denuded land becomes dry, loose and more prone to soil erosion and leads to desert.

3. Water management : Over utilization of ground water, particularly in the coastal regions, resulting in saline water intrusion into aquifiers, which is unfit for irrigation.

4. Mining and Quarrying : These activities are also responsible for loss of vegetal cover and denudation of extensive land area leading to desertification.

5.Climate change : Formation of deserts may also take place due to climate change, i.e., failure of monsoon, frequent droughts.

6.Pollution : Excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides and disposal of toxic water into the land also leads to desertification.