The Dynamic Factors of Desertification and Their Impact on Ecosystems

Abstract

Even from the middle of the 19th century desertification was considered a controlled artificial process with anthropic factors as the main cause. Forest treatments applied in tropical forests in an incorrect manner have led to soil degradations and a destabilization of climatic and hydrologic regimes. In these conditions, desertification and its indicators have regressed in regard with agricultural and forestry productivity. This was caused by a non-sustainable management characterised by exploitation anthropic activities realized in an uncontrolled procedure. In 1994, the desertification definition was updated by introducing climatic factors and abusive grazing as consequences of field degradation. The main purpose of this article is to understand the concept of” desertification” and to elaborate a qualitative analysis based on published scientific articles in order to investigate the influence factors that led to the apparition of this phenomenon in Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa. The scientific objectives consist in analysing the evolution of desertification in different affected regions as well as to analyse the influence factors that led to the ecological destabilization of agricultural and forestry domains through degradation and a reduction of silvo-biologic productivity. The results were based on analysing 74 articles published in specialty agricultural and forestry journals or magazines by institutions or associations of owners, managers of waters and forests, forestry specialists, academicians and ecologists. They have all studied the present problem posed by desertification as well as modern applied methods for rehabilitating ecologic conditions in degraded ecosystems from semi-arid, arid and extremely arid areas.