Effects of Land Degradation in the Murray-Darling Basin Research Paper

Effects of Land Degradation in the Murray-Darling Basin - Research Paper Example The prevailing climatic conditions are also contributing to Murray-Darling basin reducing in size with each passing day. Desertification is a form of land degradation that mostly affects dry land ecosystems because of both natural and human activities (Dregne n.p). Desertification can be a cumulative effect of deforestation, poor irrigation, overgrazing, droughts, and over-cultivation that can lead to land degradation. Grasslands, savannas, and woodlands are the common indicators to the start of desertification in both arid and semi arid areas. Better-placed examples of these are Taklamakan Desert in China, the Adriatic Sea in Europe and the Sahara desert. One of the major causes of soil erosion is deforestation, as this aspect tends to weaken the soil to an extent that it cannot retain any water. Evaporation easily occurs when the soil is weak and soil erosion is usually rampant in areas near water bodies. Drought is another type of water evaporation, which is relatively a length in time when an area previously experienced rain. In areas where there are soil erosion and drought and to experience high rates of evaporation, making the areas slowly to turn into deserts. When water bodies begin to dry up, then this also becomes a sure sign that the region would eventually turn into a desert. In the end, these regions end up being unstable and can no longer sustain vegetation, human life, and wildlife hence displacing the population due to the land to become less suitable for cultivation (Dregne n.p).