Mitigating+the+Threats+of+Desertification

=**Recently Updated: April 12th, 2009 **=  Desertification is an inevitable global phenomenon which is the degradation of land into arid, semiarid and dry areas, mainly caused by human mismanagement and climate change. //(GreenFacts, 2009)// It has transformed 41 percent of the Earth’s surface into the arid or semi arid areas and deprived two million people of their houses. Numerous projects and funds (42 billion per year //(UNESCO, 2004)//) including the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) have been implemented to minimize the spread of desertification. However, many countries, especially many African countries are undergoing  the influence of this severe phenomenon.  Global warming exacerbates desertification and is caused by the excessive emission of Carbon Dioxide resulting the greenhouse effect. More extreme weather events are occuring throughout the world severely threatening farmers' survival; in Sub-Saharan Africa, a continued drought from climate change significantly flunctuated the level of food production. As many farmers' survival depends on their income of food production, more farmers are not able to sustain themselves.
 * Question of: **** Increasing International Cooperation to Mitigate the Threats of Desertification **

Deforestation is another influencial cause of desertification as loss of trees make the land vulnerable to erosions. To meet the demand for timber, or to increase agricultural productivity, 13 million hectares of the world's forests are lost annually. //(Rhett A. Butler, 2005)// For example, Amazon forest in South America is a critical case of deforestation. Large number of 'slash and burn' are practiced for farmland expansion; 60 percent of total deforestation is from cattle ranches and 30 percent is from small scale and susbsitence agriculture. //(Rhett A. Butler, 2008)// The figure below shows global deforestation statistics: 


 * Figure 1: Global Deforestation //(Jcwinnie.biz, 14 Oct.)// ||

Overcultivation and overgrazing are increasingly more common in developing countries due to their lack of knowledge on farming, hence, leading less opportunities for the to improve their living conditions. Overcultivation occurs when the demand for nutrients overweights what the Earth can provide. The soil becomes unnourished and is unable to replenish itself in time. Soil erosion from overgrazing occurs when grass growth fails to keep up with consumption. It is proven as a critical cause of creating Dust Bowl in the United States few decades ago. Drought resistant grassland was converted into cattle farms but grassland generally is not suitable for farming as it contains meagear amounts of nutrients required for farming. Cattles quickly overgrazed the land killing biodiversities and exposing the bare land to erosion. //(Foresman, Scott, and Addison Wesley, 1991; Nebal, Nemard J., and Richard Tiwright, 1998)// The graph below proves the effect of overgrazing to land degradation.


 * Figure 2: Rangeland Degradation Since 1945 (//IFAD, 1994)// ||

The first detrimental impact of desertification is land degradation which would threaten economic stability of many African countries in the long term. Especially in Sahel region, Africa, many farmers, blindly in pursuit of profits, have drawn upon unsustainable agricultural techniques such as overgrazing and deforestation as agricultural productivity decides their daily survival. In fact, the African economy is primarily bound to agriculture. Agriculture in African accounts for at least 35 percent of Gross National Product (GNP), 40 percent of its exports and 70 percent of its employment. Thus, to ensure their survival, farmers have no other ways but to exploit more land, aggravating this vicious cycle. The crisis is not just limited to Africa; humans have been exploiting land resources by farming and other related activies which have further aggravated desertification. Human impact on deserts is shown below:




 * Figure 3: Human Impact on Deserts //(BBC News, 2007)// ||



Another serious aftermath of desertification is poverty; as desertification aggravates, it will cause tremendous effects to people in poverty. In 2008, the UN  Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) stated  eradication of poverty would be an active DESA issue, highlighting the social improvement of the lives of people below the poverty line; 80 percent of humans on the Earth, most of whom are Africans, live with less than $10 per day. //(Anup Shah, 2009)// However, in reality, not only  does <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Gulim; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">desertification limits the availability of arable land, but it also causes serious economic and social predicaments including decreased economic output from lower agricultural productivity, famine and water scarcity. These factors are major causes <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">that contribute to causing <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Gulim; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">extreme poverty in Africa. To combat desertification, UNCCD was implemented with 192 signatories. Since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio, the convention has developed in amplitude and specificity. It produced a variety of successful and effective institutions including Committee on Science and Technology (CST) and Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC). <span style="msofareastlanguage: ZH-CN; msofareastfontfamily: 굴림; msofontkerning: 0pt; msobidifontsize: 10.0pt;">The convention aims to provide new approaches to manage dryland ecosystems by assembling a high-level talk annually or biannually to evaluate and to further improve UNCCD. But the convention's fundamental objectives and approaches include: <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-list: Ignore; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings;">l Adopting methods on the physical, biological and socio-economic aspects of desertification and drought. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-list: Ignore; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings;">l Considering <span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">developing countries’ role in international trade. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-list: Ignore; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings;">l Promoting environment protection and conservation of land and water resources. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-list: Ignore; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings;">l Improving subregional, regional and international collaboration. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-list: Ignore; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings;">l Fully ensuring <span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">the cooperation of existing financial and institutional mechanisms and arrangements. //(Tematea: Issue-based modules for coherent implementation of biodiversity related conventions, 2007)//

<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Gulim;"> In a [|New York Times article released on June 28, 2007] //,// the awareness to establish immediate measures on spreading desertification is <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"> addressed <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Gulim;">. The article is deeply aware that the current desertification could create a global environmental crisis within the next generation. However, the effects of desertification have been already seen through international migration of tens of million people in Sub-Saharan African and Central Asia and the phenomenon will continue to increase. As the temperature rises and desertification spreads, employment rates in agricultural fields will be plunged <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">. <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Gulim;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">F <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Gulim;">or example, desertification will force 20 percent of Malians <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"> //(// //<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Gulim;">Elisabeth Rosenthal, 2007 ////<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">) //<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Gulim;"> to move to Ivory Coast in times of drought as available arable land is shrunken. Thus, governments and More Economically Developed Countries (MEDCs) must strive to tackle down these issues in those areas by aiding irrigation construction, water resources management, and restoration of the vegetation. It is expected that increase in coverage of vegetation will greatly contribute to the restoration of dry lands and minimizing of carbon dioxide emissions. Therefore, MEDCs should consider investing on environmental-friendly measures to prevent desertification. <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Gulim;">A [|UN News Centre article released on 29 Octomber, 2008] //,// also discusses the importance of combating desertification. A senior United Nations environmental expert mentioned that if desertification is tackled properly, it will help solve other immense issues like food security. 1.2 billion people’s health and well-being <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"> //(// //<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Gulim;">UN News Centre, 2008 ////<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">) //<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Gulim;"> are affected by desertification and the number will increase as global warming is aggravated. Mr. Gnacadja, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD noted that “An ecosystem is like a bank account, if we keep on withdrawing, and we don’t invest by feeding the soil and enabling it to regenerate, we are moving towards bankruptcy.” Truly, preventing desertification improves the agricultural productivity, which will boost more yields contributing in solving food security problems and future biofuel supplies. The desertification is reversible unless the spread reaches its peak; <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">hence <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Gulim;">more structured and sustainable measures must be established to combat current desertification crisis. <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Gulim; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">In __Spreading Deserts by Paul Rozarino__, several case studies of desertification are discussed. For example, desertification is a major environmental problem in China. About 3000 square kilometers of arable farmland becomes desert each year and 60 percent of its population dwells in desert <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"> ( //<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Gulim; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">Paul Rozarino, Spreading Deserts //<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">) <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Gulim; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">. In spring, thick and hazardous dust clouds from Xinjiang and inner-Mongolian province strike northern parts of China especially Beijing. People suffer from detrimental bronchial, eye damage problems, and public buildings including airports and schools temporarily shut down. As desertification in China worsens each year, more thicker and hazardous dust clouds that affect China will become thicker and larger. To slow down the emerging effects of desertification, the Chinese government has accorded to plant shelterbelts on over 6300 square kilometers in Xinjiang. Planted biodiversities will prevent wind from creating dust clouds. Not only can a 100-meter wide shelterbelt stop huge amount of sand movement (//Paul Rozarino, Spreading Deserts),// but it can also greatly improve the condition of land under desertification; 5.9% in water content, 8.7% in water retaining capacity, 13.3% in mositure of the surface soil, and 19.17% in organic matter were increased by shelterbelts in northern China. //(Lu Qi and Zhao Tishun, Unknown Date)// <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Gulim;">A __[|UN News Centre article released on 2 July, 2008]__ also calls for global attention to the rising impacts of land degradation <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">. <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Gulim;"> According to the article, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) called for renewed attention to tackle the issue. Land degradation is increasing in extent and effect; more than 20 percent of arable lands, 30 percent of forests and 10 percent of grasslands are in degradation process. It limits agricultural productivity, food security, availability of natural resources and biodiversities; loss of biodiversity increases the amount of Carbon Dioxide being released, in return, it ruins soil quality in nutrition and moisture. Even though, UNCCD was put into action under the agreement of 192 countries, land degradation has not yet <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"> been <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Gulim;"> stopped; some parts were seriously aggravated to wastelands and thus were abandoned. However, there are some cases in the study that by sustainable management, the land has shown an improved quality and productivity and in North America, western India, and northern china. //(UN News Centre, 2008)// <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">

A [|Korean Herald article released on April 6 2009] describes civil actions of "Keep Korea Green". "Keep Korea Green" is one of the most acknowledged and successful environmental campaigns in South Korea. Organized by Yuhan-Kimberly since 1983, Korean citizens have been actively participating in planting trees; 800 people planted 5000 trees in Yangpyeong-gun, and Gyeonggi-do and 14,846 people have participated as of 2009. A company spokesman commented that the nation's tree and water resources are not abundant even though the country consists of 65 percent of mountains and receives 130 billion tons of rainfall each year, that planting trees are seen as a vital solution in preventing the spread of desertification.

Since its formation, "Keep Korea Green" has had a tremendous effect on society; it increased public awareness on the importance of the environment and encouraged the contribution of companies to support this activity. In collaboration with a high-profile nationwide movement and environmental group, Forest For Life, the programme is further practiced in 3000 schools nationwide to minimize the dust produced from their playgrounds and to effectively continue the programme in future generations. Green camps are offered since 1988 for high school girls to experience environmental preservation in-depth. //(Jin Hyun-joo, 2009)//


 * Below are copies of UN Documents which address efforts in combating desertification:**

//(The United Nations, 2005)// //(The United Nations, 1998)// //(The United Nations, 1998)// [|Agenda 21] - Adopted by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janerio in 1992, with 178 signitures. //(The United Nations, 2005)// A/RES/62/190 [|Agricultural Technology for Development] - Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 11 February 2008. //(The United Nations, 2008)//

<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Gulim;">The goal of my journal is to investigate the immense effects of desertification, in particular, how it affects the lives of people. It turned out that farmers have been most severely affected by desertification in that it has deprived them of fundamental means of life; many have suffered from shortage of food, water and shelters due to desertification. Another detrimental effect of desertification that people are increasingly aware of is that it closely relates to soaring retail food prices. As the availability of arable land decreases, the gap between the demand and the available stock will not only increase food prices but also cause food-related catastrophes like mass malnutrition. <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Gulim;">Moreover, the major causes of desertification including deforestation, overgrazing and overcultivation, and climate change must be publicized by all kinds of means to minimize the threats of desertification. Under the cooperation of relevant Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and governments, policies on local, regional, and international level must be discussed and established. For example, locally, governments can educate their citizens with sustainable agricultural techniques like crop rotation; regionally, they can set up surveillance programs to predict future threats of desertification; globally, through periodic high-level talks, they can implement agreements and conventions including the Kyoto Protocol which aims to control the effects of climate change on desertification. They can also evaluate past and current issues and solutions used to establish more effective solutions in the future; informations on desertification must be smoothly shared within countries as desertification is a global crisis. In addition, as the Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon highlighted that the theme of 2009 will be on water, desertification must gather a global attention as it highly relates to freshwater resources and irrigation techniques. <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The Question of Increasing International Cooperation to Mitigate the Threats of Desertification ** has been an silent issue for decades. Desert <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">ification <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Gulim;"> can occur everywhere and is continuously spreading. If mistreated, all our homes can be covered by desert <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Gulim;"> in the future. Many projects including creating World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought (June 17th) or organizing UNCCD have been put into practice <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Malgun Gothic';">; <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Gulim;"> however, UNCCD’s past 10 years of efforts saw unsatisfactory achievements as it focused too much on issues irrelevant to desertification. Thus, an effective reform in UNCCD must be discussed to improve its effectiveness and come up with better measures by connecting between desertification and climate change and calling for global efforts to invest in soil, water, and natural resources management. Nationally, as seen in China and South Korea, active involvement in implementing long-term methods like planting trees are also vital in addressing the crisis. <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">

Even if effective measures are put into practice, they <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"> will not be effective unless <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> farmers <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"> have access <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> to them. Often, high agricultural techniques like Genetically Modified (GM) crops are too expensive and need continuous updates and management. By further investing on biotechnologies and environmentally-friendly agricultural equipments like organic fertilizers, in long term, they will be more easily accessible for poor farmers. These new information and technologies must be shared by methods including the South-South Cooperation which is an agreement of nations of southern hemisphere which <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">aims to improve technical cooperation among developing countries.

High-tech agricultural machineries minimizes the effect of desertification. In many developing countries, more specialized farming machineries reduce the pressure on farmers to produce high yields, thus preventing overcultivation - an important factor of causing desertification. The problem, however, is that modern machineries are often expensive in fueling and maintaining them. Thus, a loaning system and a general improvement of infrastructure must be proceeded to allow for the implementation of the technology. In some countries like Rwanda, its instability in the economy and ongoing civil wars barricade farmers from using these technologies. Because of flunctuations in the economies, the banks' savings are not sufficient to support these farmers that their alternative solution are often in the form of foreign aid or loans from International Financial Instituitions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF). For many Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC), it is very difficult to pay back loans or to gain further loans in the future. <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">

It is also important to spread the awareness of desertification like by planting trees movement as it can be effective in preventing the major cause - the use of unsustainable farming methods that accelerated desertification like in Sahel, Africa. By using mass medias including radios broadcasts, televisions, seminars, the awareness can be conveyed to the farmers directly.

Lastly, reforms to aid the rising number of victims must be considered to eliminate poverty and to improve the quality of life by providing basic needs like food, water, and shelter in collaboration with FAO, World Food Programme (WFP), and World Health Organization (WHO). Healthcare services also must be offered to ensure vulnerable victims are not jeopardized from malnutrition and other related diseases. It is important to prevent the consequences of desertification malnutrition and excessive poverty as they will aggravate the situation if not cured properly. <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-font-kerning: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Batang; mso-fareast-language: KO; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">

<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; text-align: left; mso-list: Ignore; msofareastfontfamily: Arial; msolist: Ignore;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; mso-list: Ignore; msofareastfontfamily: Arial; msolist: Ignore;">1. Anup Shah. "Poverty Facts and Stats - Global Issues." __Global Issues : social, political, economic and environmental issues that affect us all - Global Issues__. 22 Mar. 2009. 25 Mar. 2009 < [|http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats] >. <span style="font-family: 바탕;"> 2. Rozario, Paul. __Spreading deserts__. Singapore: Times Editions, 2004. 3. UNESCO. "Facts and Figures: Desertification and Drought: International Year of Freshwater 2003." __2003 International Year of Fresh Water__. 14 Jan. 2004. 25 Mar. 2009 < [|http://www.wateryear2003.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=5137&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html]>. 4. GreenFacts. "Scientific Facts on Desertification." GreenFacts. 2006. 16 Dec. 2009 < [|http://www.greenfacts.org/en/desertification/l-3/1-define-desertification.htm]>. 5. Elisabeth Rosenthal. "Likely Spread of Deserts to Fertile Land Requires Quick Response, U.N. Report Says." __The New York Times__. 28 June 2007. 29 Mar. 2009 < [|http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/28/world/28deserts.html?_r=3&scp=1&sq=desertification&st=cse]>. 6. The United Nations. "Combating desertification Combating desertification could help tackle other global crises - UN official." __UN News Centre__. 29 Oct. 2008. 29 Mar. 2009 < [|http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=28756&Cr=desertification&Cr1=&Kw1=desertification&Kw2=&Kw3=]>. 7. The United Nations. "Land degradation on the rise and requires renewed global attention - UN." __UN News Centre__. 2 July 2008. 29 Mar. 2009 < [|http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27241&Cr=FAO&Cr1=&Kw1=desertification&Kw2=&Kw3=]>. 8. The United Nations. "Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty." __Social Perspective on Development Branch__. Unknown Date. 29 Mar. 2009 < [|http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/social/poverty/2nddecade.html]>. 9. Lu Qi, and Zhao Tishun. "Sustainable Agrosilvicultural Management Techniques in Northern China Dryland." __Desertification.gov.cn__. unknown dare. 8 Apr. 2009 [|http://www.desertification.gov.cn/xinxi/book2/ctk-4.htm]. 10. __Human Impact on Deserts__. 28 June 2007. __BBC News__. By BBC News. 28 June 2007. 8 Apr. 2009 [|http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6247802.stm#map]. 11. Jin Hyun-joo. "Yuhan-Kimberly's 'Keep Korea Green' turns 26." __The Korean Herald__. 6 Apr. 2009. 8 Apr. 2009 < [|http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2009/04/06/200904060083.asp]>. 12. The United Nations. UNCCD. __UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION__. The United Nations Doc. 31 May 2005. 9 Apr. 2009 [|http://www.bdix.net/sdnbd_org/world_env_day/2005/legal_issues/treaty/desertification_land_cover_cha.pdf]. 13. The United Nations. Kyoto Protocol. __KYOTO__ __PROTOCOL TO THE UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE__. The United Nations Doc. 1998. 9 Apr. 2009 [|http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp/kpeng.pdf] 14. The United Nations. Convention on Biological Diversity. __CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY__. The United Nations Doc. 5 Jun. 1992. 9 Apr. 2009 [|http://www.cbd.int/doc/legal/cbd-en.pdf] 15. Butler, Rhett A. "World deforestation rates and forest cover statistics, 2000-2005." __Mongabay.com__. 17 Nov. 2005. 10 Apr. 2009 [|http://news.mongabay.com/2005/1115-forests.html]. 16. Butler, Rhett A. "Deforestation in the Amazon." __Mongabay.com__. 2008. 10 Apr. 2009 < [|http://www.mongabay.com/brazil.html]>. 17. Jcwinnie.biz. "After Gutenberg." __Jcwinnie.biz__. 10 Apr. 2009 < [|http://jcwinnie.biz/wordpress/?p=2547]>. <span style="font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 굴림;">18. The United Nations. "United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)." __Tematea Project__. 11 Oct. 2007. 17 Dec. 2008 <http://www.tematea.org/?q=node/10>. 19. The Unired Nations. "Agenda 21." __United Nations Division for Sustainable Development__. 11 Aug. 2005. 11 Apr. 2009 <[]>. 20. The United Nations. "Improving Access to Agricultural Technology for Development." __UNConnections__. 11 February 2008. 11 Apr. 2009 <[]> 21. Foresman, Scott, and Addison Wesley. __Environmental Science__. Dubay Lopin Ski Schoch Tueed, 1991. 331-13. 22. Nebal, Nemard J., and Richard Tiwright. __Environmental Science__. Prentice Hall, 1998. 233-312. 23, IFAD. "Rangeland Degradation Since 1945." __IFAD__. 12 Apr. 2009 [].
 * __Works Cited__**