Population Increase, Deforestation, and Desertification in Africa

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Population Increase, Deforestation, and
Desertification in Africa
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Forests a critical resource

• More than 1 billion people live in or around
  forests and use forest resources/timber for
• 70 million Indigenous Peoples living in remote
  areas depend completely on forest resources for
  their livelihoods

Food Fuel Medicine Income Clean Water Building material Spirituality Recreation
FAO/ Faidutti/CFU000118
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Why does the Africa suffer from desertification?
a typical example
Population Increases
More demand for energy
More demand for cattle
Deforestation for fire wood
Grassland suffers over grazing
Roots no longer hold soil together
Roots get eaten as well as grass
Less vegetation means less protection from weather
Leaves no longer protect soil from weather
Loose top soil blown away by wind (Soil
Erosion)
Loose top soil blown away by wind (Soil
Erosion)
desertification
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Need proof this is happening in Africa?

• Satellite imagery from the United Nations
  Environmental Program (UNEP)

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Population Growth Around Lake Victoria 1960 - 2015

• The population growth around 100 km buffer zone
  of the Lake Victoria

• Population growth around Lake Victoria, East
  Africa, is the highest in Africa

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Tai National Park, Côte dIvoire site of
worlds highest deforestation rate
These images show deforestation rate in the area,
believed to be one of the highest in the world

• 1988 Shows destruction of small forest fragments

• 2002 The lighter green strip bisecting the
  images is the result of extensive deforestation
  and intensive cultivation

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Deforestation in Itampolo, Madagascar
These images show the changes in narrow coastal
plain

• 1973 Shows heavily forested area home to unique
  and rare plant and animal species

• 2001 Burning of forest to clear land for dry
  rice cultivation, has led to disappearance of
  forest area (seen as tan)

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Deforestation Around Lake Nakuru, Kenya
These images show the land cover degradation in
the lakes catchment

• 1973 The area that hosts the worlds largest
  concentration of flamingos

• 2000 Excision of forest in the Eastern Mau
  Forest Reserve (white lines) will most likely
  lead to disappearance of upper catchment forest
  cover

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Desertification in Ravene, Senegal
Images show impact of drought and over-grazing on
the woody vegetation

• 1965 Ancient valleys cutting through gravelly
  plateaus, with extensive bushland vegetation

• 1999 desertification spreads extensively along
  the shallow valley slopes

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• Desertification leaves the land barren and unable
  to support agriculture

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Can you create a caption for this picture?