Abstract
The degradation of natural resources at an intense rate creates serious problems in the environmental systems particularly with the compounding effects of climatic vagaries and changes. On the one hand, desertification is a crucial universal, mostly an anthropogenic environmental issue affecting soils all over the world. On the other hand, drought is a natural phenomenon in direct association with reduced rainfall in various spatial and temporal frames. Vulnerabilities to drought and desertification are complex processes caused by environmental, ecological, social, economic and anthropogenic factors. Particularly for the Mediterranean semi-arid conditions, where the physical and structural systems are more vulnerable, the abuse and overuse of the natural resources lead to their degradation and ultimately, if the current trends continue, to their marginalization. The scope of the current effort is trying to find any common drivers for the pressures of both processes. Thus, the vulnerabilities to drought and desertification are comparing by using the Standardized Drought Vulnerability Index (SDVI) and the Environmentally Sensitive Areas Index (ESAI). The indices are calculated from October 1983 to September 1996 in Greece. Greece is prone to desertification and it is often experiencing intense droughts, thus it presents an almost ideal case study area. The results may indicate that the most important factor for such procedures is the deficits in water resources, either due to lower than usually expected rainfall or to higher societal water demand.
Highlights
Natural resources management generally focuses on the implementation, monitoring, control and mitigation of real-world environmental issues rather than being involved with the abstract theoretical design of such issues causes [1,2,3]
Environmentally Sensitive Areas Index (ESAI) and Standardized Drought Vulnerability Index (SDVI) were calculated from October 1983 until September
ESAI and and of of their their dispute dispute in in accordance accordance with with the the Figure various approaches. This effort has focused on the relations between the vulnerability to drought (SDVI) and to
Summary
Natural resources management generally focuses on the implementation, monitoring, control and mitigation of real-world environmental issues (e.g., natural hazards, change of human pressures affecting the environment, etc.) rather than being involved with the abstract theoretical design of such issues causes [1,2,3]. The degradation of natural resources creates environmental pressures including water quality and quantity impacts, pollution, soil erosion, desertification, deforestation, potential climate change, overexploitation of water and other natural resources and the reduction of biodiversity in fragile environments Such degradation is more and more attracting the general concern of the various stakeholders [4,5,6]. It is a general concern of the international scientific community that anthropogenic interventions may stress these fragile environments and burden the state of natural resources [7] These human activities may directly affect the well-being, the human health, the safety and the economic affairs and development. More than often any significant changes in land use or agricultural practices affect the quality of these natural resources [13,14]
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