em in Africa caused by deforestation is desertification caused by erosion, and it is happening rapidly in areas around the Sahara Desert.
Desertification frequently happens in semi-arid lands on the edges of deserts (Deforestation). Desertification is caused by drought; overgrazing; cultivation of crops in lands where there is a high risk of crop failure; destruction of vegetation, often for fuel wood; poor irrigation practices; poor grazing management after accidental burning of semi-arid vegetation; and deforestation. Desertification reduces the ability of the land to support life, disrupts wild species and domestic animals, disrupts agriculture and people. Reduction in plant cover speeds up soil erosion caused by wind and water. The rapid expansion of the desert forces people into the forests and so hastens deforestation.
The African Technology Forum has put forth some ideas to try and stem the deforestation problem (Branson, 2003). One idea is to regulate the logging industry so that no excess beyond that to meet everyoneÆs needs is taken. Another idea is to create forest protections and reserves to minimize the use of the rainforests. Restructuring land ownership in Africa is another proposal that may be instituted. The idea would be to divide up the land so no one had more than they really needed. Finally, the forum proposed to reduce the population growth rate by regulating the birth rate, so less land would be needed by families, preserving even more of the rainforest. Cutting the birth rate would reduce the number of trees cut down for fuel, and combined with setting a maximum amount of wood fuel to be
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