The Sahara Desert, located in North Africa, is the world’s largest hot desert, covering an area of approximately 9.2 million square kilometres. Desertification, the process by which fertile land becomes desert due to various factors (including climate change and human activities) has been a concern in the Saharan region for centuries. The Sahara is growing at a rate of 48km per year, while 45% of Africa’s population lives in drylands affected by desertification, with multiple countries experiencing the dire effects of this international problem.
Thousands of years ago, during the African Humid Period, the Sahara had lakes, vegetation and vast wildlife; this idea is now dubbed the ‘Green Sahara’. This ended when natural changes in the Earth’s climate (not to be confused with manmade climate change), caused by the Earth’s orbit and axial tilt shifting, resulted in less rain in the area and eventually lead to the entire region drying up. In this way, desertification is not a new thing. However, the current rate of it does not suit projections entirely based on natural, gradual climate change, and rather shows a rapid change as a result of manmade climate issues. For example, the southern boundary of the Sahara Desert, known as the Sahel, had experienced desertification in recent decades. This has been caused by overgrazing, deforestation and droughts.
These droughts are primarily caused by shifts in global weather patterns due to climate change as a result of human activity. When greenhouse gases are emitted into and trapped within the Earth’s atmosphere, global warming occurs. This changes how the air interacts with large bodies of water and other geological features, and results in altered wind and weather patterns. These changes can lead to issues such as desertification and extreme weather events, like droughts.
In the future, climate change will continue to be a significant driver in desertification in the Saharan region. Altered precipitation patterns and increased evaporation rates caused by rising global and local temperatures is projected to lead to an increase in droughts and even less water in the areas surrounding the Sahara desert, most noticeably in the south. However, this loss of water to the atmosphere can be, in some ways, prevented. Some sites along the border of the Sahara are making use of ‘bunds’ which trap water in semicircular indents in the ground and reduce surface run off in the surrounding areas. Where many of these have been planted regional environments have flourished and pockets of flora have begun to appear around each hole. This is an example of geo-engineering and afforestation – large scale projects which some proposals suggest may turn the tide on desertification by altering local climates and increasing vegetation cover. However, these projects are often controversial and have significant environmental and logistical challenges.
Further, desertification is not only caused by large scale climate change, but also by human activity in the local areas. Population in the Saharan region is projected to continue growing. This will likely lead to increased demand for resources, including water and agricultural land, which may intensify land degradation. Land management practices can lead to degradation if it is not able to be sustainable; overgrazing, improper irrigation and deforestation lead to less water in the ground and less structurally sound ground. Over time, this dusty ground can transform into desert, which is not beneficial for local people depending upon it for agriculture and water sources. Even if some people are not directly reliant on agriculture for their lifestyle, it will be the root source of their nutrition, meaning that when the ground is impacted, they will be too.
Ultimately, the Saharan region and its people face water scarcity challenges, which need to be sustainably managed. The people there need to have access to water sources, but these need to be managed very carefully to ensure surrounding areas do not experience rapid desertification, which will, in turn, be unhelpful for the local people.
Some regions in areas surrounding the Sahara Desert are exploring alternative agriculture practices like drought resistant crops, agroforestry and adaptable water management systems, while international programs and bodies, such as the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), are working on sustainable initiatives to address desertification.
To some extent, we must evaluate what the root cause of desertification is in order to accurately tackle it. Current methods work more on managing the results than prevention of the issue. The causes of climate change, particularly that impacting North African weather patterns, are ultimately the cause of rapid desertification.
The future of desertification in the Sahara depends on various factors, including global efforts to combat climate change, regional land management practices, and the ability of communities to adapt to changing conditions. It is a complex issue, with no single solution.
Addressing desertification requires a combination of sustainable land management,
conservation efforts, climate change mitigation and adaption strategies.