What is desertification in Nigeria?
What is desertification in Nigeria?
Eleven states in the north, including Sokoto, are threatened with desertification, the process by which dryland ecosystems are continually degraded by the removal of tree and plant cover, mostly by human activity. In northern Nigeria, desertification threatens the livelihoods of some 40 million people.
What causes desertification in Nigeria?
The natural causes of desertification include the poor physical conditions of soils, vegetation, topography as well as the inherent extreme climatic variability as evidenced in periodic droughts. Climate variation is perhaps the most important natural cause of desertification and drought in the dry lands of Nigeria.
What are 3 causes of desertification?
Human activities that contribute to desertification include the expansion and intensive use of agricultural lands, poor irrigation practices, deforestation, and overgrazing. These unsustainable land uses place enormous pressure on the land by altering its soil chemistry and hydrology.
What is desertification and its causes?
“Desertification is a type of land degradation in which a relatively dry land region becomes increasingly arid, typically losing its bodies of water as well as vegetation and wildlife. It is caused by a variety of factors, such as climate change and human activities.
How can we prevent desertification in Nigeria?
6.2 What actions can be taken to prevent desertification?
- Integrating land and water management to protect soils from erosion, salinization, and other forms of degradation.
- Protecting the vegetative cover, which can be a major instrument for soil conservation against wind and water erosion.
What part of Nigeria is most affected by erosion?
Gully erosion, the most impressive and striking erosion type, has been recognized as one of the major global environmental problems. Many States in Nigeria are currently under the threats of this phenomenal process, south-eastern part of the country being the most affected.
What is the main cause of desertification?
‘Climatic variations’ and ‘Human activities’ can be regarded as the two main causes of desertification. removal of the natural vegetation cover（by taking too much fuel wood）, agricultural activities in the vulnerable ecosystems of arid and semi-arid areas, which are thus strained beyond their capacity.
How can desertification be prevented?
Integrated land and water management are key methods of desertification prevention. All measures that protect soils from erosion, salinization, and other forms of soil degradation effectively prevent desertification.
How can desertification affect humans?
Land degradation and desertification can affect human health through complex pathways. As land is degraded and deserts expand in some places, food production is reduced, water sources dry up and populations are pressured to move to more hospitable areas. the spread of infectious diseases as populations migrate.
How can we prevent desertification?
Desertification can be reduced by adopting the following strategies: Planting more trees – the roots of trees hold the soil together and help to reduce soil erosion from wind and rain. Growing crops in this way can improve the quality of the soil as it is held together by the roots of plants and protected from erosion.
How can we stop desert from spreading?
Preventive actions include:
- Integrating land and water management to protect soils from erosion, salinization, and other forms of degradation.
- Protecting the vegetative cover, which can be a major instrument for soil conservation against wind and water erosion.
Which state is highly affected by gully erosion in Nigeria?
Abia State
Nwilo et al., [12] identified rainstorm as one of the physical components which causes gully erosion in Abia State, Nigeria.
How is desertification affecting the environment in Nigeria?
Nigeria is faced with rapid desert encroachment affecting fifteen northernmost states from moderate to severe rate. Out of the 909,890 km2 of the country’s land area, about 580,841km2accounting for 63.83% of total land is impinge on by desertification. Climatic variability and anthropogenic activities such as deforestation, extensive
How many people are affected by desertification in the world?
It has been estimated that some 10–20% of drylands are already degraded, the total area affected by desertification being between 6 and 12 million square kilometres, that about 1–6% of the inhabitants of drylands live in desertified areas, and that a billion people are under threat from further desertification. [18][19]
How does desertification cause mass migration in Africa?
Desertification often causes rural lands to become unable to support the same sized populations that previously lived there. This results in mass migrations out of rural areas and into urban areas, particularly in Africa.
How is drought being remedied in Nigeria?
Drought and desertification can be remedied through integrated approaches such as awareness programmes, protection of marginal lands, tree planting, sustainable agricultural practices and use of alternative energy source. Key words: Drought, desertification, Northern Nigeria, dryland, environment. INTRODUCTION
