Download Introduction Definition of Key Terms

Malaysian Model United Nations
Forum:
Environment Commission Sub-Commission 2
Issue:
Measures to prevent desertification with regards to soil management
Student Officer: Terry Chung
Position:
President of the Environment Commission Sub-Commission 2
Introduction
Drylands occupy 40% of the world’s landmass, and are home to 1/3 of the human race. They
produce 44% of the world’s food, and support the largest diversity of mammals. Desertification and land
degradation, especially in dry and areas affect one and a half billion people in more than 110 countries,
90% of who are in poverty. The destruction of land resources often entrenches the desert habitants into
further poverty. Nearly a quarter of the Earth has suffered land degradation due to bad soil management
practices and global climate change in the past four decades. Its impact on sustainable development,
food production and poverty eradication has been profoundly negative.
Definition of Key Terms
Desertification
Land degradation in arid, semi-arid areas resulting from climate variations, or human activity, in
which fertile land becomes desert
Drylands
Dryland ecosystems are characterized by a chronic lack of water. These include deserts,
cultivated land, scrubland, grassland, savannas and semi-deserts. The lack of water reduces
production of ecological resources such as wood, and services, such as prevention of disease,
and regulation of climate and water.
Ecosystem Services
Benefits people obtain from the environment such as food, water, flood, disease control, tourism,
and natural environmental regulation are collectively called ecosystem services.
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Land Degradation
Land or soil degradation refers to the long term decline of the soil or land environment, which
further results in the loss of productivity and overall ecosystem function.
Soil Management
Soil is the setting for plant growth. Good management of soil ensures that sufficient nutrients
remain to support plant growth, and that mineral elements do not become hindrances, toxicants,
or mutation catalysts for plant growth.
Background Information
Causes of desertification
Removal of vegetation cover
Cover vegetation has a stabilizing and protective effect on the vulnerability, fertility and
stability of soil. Vegetation provides vital nutrients to the soil, and its roots hold soil in place,
protecting it from erosion. The removal of such vegetation not only causes a reduction in soil
nutrients and moisture. The absence of stabilizing roots makes the geography extremely
vulnerable to erosion, and landslides, which in turn produces desert environments.
Farming and overgrazing
The over-cultivation of soil depletes it of vital the minerals needed to support vegetation
growth. Farming on the same area of land year after year (sedentary farming) may cause
desertification. Excessive irrigation techniques in drylands cause land degradation through water
logging, salinization, and water pollution. These irrigation techniques often redirect rivers,
destroying inland water habitats, and reducing access to groundwater. Overgrazing removes
vegetation cover, which may lead to the problems listed above.
Impact of desertification
Global climate change
Global warming caused by increased carbon emissions has raised the global temperature
by an average of 0.3 to 0.6 degrees Celsius. This phenomenon can be attributed to
industrialization and the greenhouse effect. The general rise in temperature has raised the rate of
evaporation and transpiration, leading to drought and dryness in soil. The deterioration of soil in
turn hinders plant growth, further restricting rainfall, and thus accelerating the process of
desertification.
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Food security and health
Degraded soil causes low agricultural production. Malnutrition and disease may result
from crop failure, and low water quality and availability. The number of malnourished people in
Sub-Saharan Africa, where accelerated desertification processes occur, doubled from 88 million
in 1970, to 200 million in 2001. Poor nutrition causes 8 million infants deaths per year.
Poverty eradication
Large portions of those living in drylands are subject in poverty. Before the process of
desertification, dryland habitants often rely on ecosystem services to augment their income. This
poses a great threat to subsistence farmers, who are barely producing enough for themselves
and their family, and cannot afford agricultural failure. Poverty can also be both a cause and
effect of desertification. Poor people are more likely to deplete natural resources, and prop up
industries without regard to waste management practices. This is due to a general disregard for
environmental standards in favor of profits, and lack of education regarding good land
management and sustainable farming practices.
Further land degradation
Desertification signifies the breakdown of balance within an ecosystem, representing the
start of the ecosystem’s self-destruction. The soil which has become degraded by deficient
practices, becomes vulnerable to erosion by wind and water, cannot regenerate vegetation, the
process essentially feeding onto itself.
Preventing desertification
The balancing of supply and demand for ecosystem services in drylands
Ecosystem services are a peculiar commodity in that they are finite and their price does
not originate from human labor. To understand how much of the ecosystem humans can harness
without harming the environment requires the examining of the supply and demand for
ecosystem services. Factors that determine supply and demand are linked to natural conditions
such as soil conditions, fauna, slope, climate, land use and energy usage. Capping services at
the equilibrium point, or favoring the preservation of the environment would be vital in stopping
desertification.
Understanding, monitoring and predicting desertification
The advancement of observation technology such as satellite imagery and computer
software has significantly boosted data collection. At the forefront of advanced climate change
monitoring is NASA and its Earth Observing System. Yet, there still exists uncertainty about the
origin, extent and gravity of desertification. Governments and Non-Governmental Organizations
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need a standard method of collection, storage, and dissemination of data. Information from
different sources can be difficult to compare, which suggests a need for more information-sharing
and streamlining of data collection and analysis. Furthermore, to understand the scope and
gravity of desertification, policy makers must take into account research done in the field of
climate monitoring, biodiversity, erosion, vegetation development, natural resource management,
and population dynamics, all factors which affect desertification.
Timeline of Events
Date
360 BC
Early 18th Century
1992
Description of event
Plato writes in “Critias” about the negative impacts of deforestation, including
soil erosion
Charles “Turnip” Townsend introduces the four field crop rotation system, an
early form of soil management and nutrient providing, to pre-industrial England
Rio Earth Summit identifies climate change, loss of biodiversity and
desertification as the largest obstacles to sustainable development
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which facilitates
December 1996
cooperation among member states to solve the issue of desertification, enters
into force
UNCCD adopts the 10 year Strategy, further specifying its goal to reverse
2007
desertification and land degradation to mitigate effects of drought and thereby
support poverty reduction and sustainable development
Large scale droughts occur in Sub Saharan Africa, causing mass famine in
2012 - 2013
Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad, Senegal and Gambia.
Harvests fall by up to 46%. Drought is thought to be caused by over-cultivation
and global climate change.
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UN Involvement, Relevant Resolutions, Treaties and Events
International attention to desertification grew as the world witnessed the devastating effects of
land degradation, drought and famine in Sub Saharan Africa in the 1970s. In the early 90s the United
Nations established the Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), specifying a course of action.
However, any UN effort has been heavily dependent on the financial, informational, and technical
support from developing countries, often subject to fluctuation. Nevertheless, the UN has played a large
role in promoting the issues regarding desertification, and highlighting its effects on food security, health,
poverty eradication and sustainable development.
•
Plan of Action to Combat Desertification, 19 December 1989 (A/RES/44/172)
•
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious
Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa, 12 September 1994 (A/AC.241/27)
•
Commission on Sustainable Development Report on the Eight Session, 30 April 1999
(E/CN.17/2000/20)
•
Human Rights Council Right to Food, 27 March 2008 (A/HRC/RES/7/14)
•
The Future We Want, recognizing the effects of desertification on sustainable development
practices, eradicating poverty and water availability 11 September 2012, (A/RES/66/288)
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