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What is Desertification?
Desertification is a type of land degradation in which a relatively dry land region becomes increasingly dry, typically losing its bodies of water as well as vegetation and wildlife.
Desertification Key Issues
Problem: Land degradation (taking good land and making it worse)
Consequences:• Losing bodies of water • Losing vegetation• Losing habitats• Losing wildlife
Aren’t Deserts an Ecosystem?
A community of plants, animals and smaller organisms that live, feed, reproduce and interact in the same area or environment. Ecosystems have no fixed boundaries; a single lake, a watershed, or an entire region could be considered an ecosystem.(1)
• Aquatic ecosystem• Forest• Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem• Human ecosystem• Large marine ecosystem• Littoral zone• Marine ecosystem• Riparian zone• River ecosystem• Subsurface Lithoautotrophic • Microbial Ecosystem• Urban ecosystem• Movile Cave• Desert
Ecosystems Example
Cause Overgrazing - USA
Solutions:• Raise climate appropriate animals• Reduce the numbers of animals per
acre• Rotate grazing areas• Reduce meat consumption
Cause Exploitation: Argentina
Solutions:• Alternative fuel sources such as
biomass• High efficiency stoves• Fees on charcoal
Desertification Matters …because it takes away things we care about
• Aquifers(under ground water)
• Surface water• Land for farming
& grazing• Plant diversity• Species diversity• Clean air
Degrade – to convert something to lesser quality Watershed – the areas in which water flows e.g.
Rock Creek is part of the Potomac River watershed
Littoral zone – part of a sea, lake or river that is close to the shore
Riparian zone – is the interface between land and a river or stream
Diversity – the range of animals or plants in an ecosystem
Aquifers – underground water Buffer zones – areas that protect one space from
other
Glossary