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Team:Imperial College London/Project/Background
From 2011.igem.org
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title[1] = "Sub-saharan Africa"; | title[1] = "Sub-saharan Africa"; | ||
title[2] = "North American Plains"; | title[2] = "North American Plains"; | ||
| - | title[3] = "China"; | + | title[3] = "China and Central Asia"; |
var text = new Array(); | var text = new Array(); | ||
text[0] = "Mouse over the map to read about the impact of desertification in different areas."; | text[0] = "Mouse over the map to read about the impact of desertification in different areas."; | ||
Revision as of 16:18, 13 September 2011
What is Desertification
Desertification is the degradation of drylands which include arid, semi-arid and sub-humid areas. Drylands make up roughly 40 percent of the Earth’s land and are home to some two billion people, most of which live in developing countries. Dryland soil sustains a fragile ecosystem adapted to infrequent precipitation and dramatic temperature changes. Over-exploitation of dryland for cultivation and feedstock purposes renders the soil unproductive, forcing migration of communities in search of fertile land, leaving the unproductive land bare and vulnerable to erosive forces. A lack of food supply in many developing countries forces constant cultivation of land for short-term gain as well as deforestation to provide arable land.
Case Studies
Desertification
Mouse over the map to read about the impact of desertification in different areas.
