as: This plan! rappnse is flxlkzd eolheolher cydk
laerors char cause hare numbers lo sharply decline on
oeeiehruwsed range. In hm deserls, lire and knowing,
oopprcinp and firewood gathering can produce such
pulmwus nielaholiies a wide rang: ol bath woody
aaid ephemeral planrs llaryani, l P, ml, Nalrrral
Binary mill

 

11.13

DESEKTll-‘ICATION AND THE
SALTING OF SOILS

nsamncmoN
1e Hut-via, H,N., 1968 in La peserlr/ieoliori du Sal-on.
llnl. BloI Pm; secr c. T Collngne Harninarriel,
Kantian) gm lhe following arises ol desemfi—oahnm
Independemly ol any long-Term or cyelre clirnalrc
change.
ovanculec, assisred by well-dnlhng lo
oiainl 'rr higher shack nunihers. Herds can nor now
adlusl lo clirnalie laelors, and an be held ai hlgh
numbers mild well iruo dmughl periods

- OVERGRAZXNC: messing lhe vegeralron kyand
mvuy, espeeially irear wells,

- FUEL use; Kmarillg hmbus cu! but um replanred
(Inn/ans also lakes lhousands ol neesl Frequpnr burns

 

in;

- sleNc 0F NOMADS local grazing and luel-
(“lung siress causes a cone or deslrucrion, usually
uenued ori wells: no regenerallon is possibl: as people
are no long” noinadrc

- CROPPING, ollen as a resuli (u a railing herd
supporl and iii responae m populanon increase This
ulsndr down he I5 erri rarruoll, wheres 40 cm is aceep
red as lhe lower lunrl lordependable cropping,

- EXTENSION OF CLEARING, lolluwlng on law
enrp mums, lhus less hlluw, lhis pally increases soil
oompacuon and topsoil loss

. EXCESSIVE WATER USE ui modern cirrus on|y:
due m parlieular rodeep wellsor powered pumps. The
upper uqmllr dries up, and lhe lm| eaeeas waler uk
lends lo salinanon olsurfim soils

- SURFACE DRYING; lhe deserr heeorries irre-
vocably abandoned when oases dry up due |0
gmndwaler removal.

Damage in hills is devegeialion. erosion, denuda-
uun. ln eroded soils calcreee and lemerele or allaeie is
zxyoscd. prevailing produciire use Deep erosion euls
gulhes in lields, dusl slorrns do luriher damage
Onceeraole dunes wlll lheri srarr ro move All lheac m
prerenlable problems il early signs are heeded and il
we have goodwlll m lhe earrh. Above all, dlsgmllunnn
a land-use, hence polirical, proolern, and relieve hhc
poonlies ol govemmznls

While l agree wrlh all ol lhe above, lhem ue orher
laclors anecled by and rclaled eo lhern. and necessary
in more Fully undersrarid W: process ol desenriicaiion

 

These are-

- WIND EFFECIS: Bnlh lhe drylng eueel, wind
erosion, and sand plase on plans.

. soil EFFEGS Soil (nHIw due lo delloceulaiiori
ul :lays; hollows and pans drvelop soil aalnn. due lo
lhe above and lo we dereloprnenr ol hardpans in lhe a
soil Ilnrizmi,

r mm: EFl-‘EClS: The increase ol overland warer
flow due lo deloresrauon and ay-isulniral mmpaeelon
ol soils, Calming gullying and all rransporl m lower
soils Added In lhis, [hm is a else ln sall waler laoles
due lo deloresranon

- WETLANDSALTING' The orecuse ol oiineral and
nlkrkh walers on dayvfraellon soils, and
ovu-i'nphun.

Thesearemeprocsesolsaluusalion or soil salonp.
ln ms and ma, w, c. lowdei-iuillc ol lhe Uniled
Sinus Deparunenl ol Agncuhuu casl a soil conserva-
linuin's eye over whai arelraeolopy had revealed ol lhe
oocegrarid eirilisaiioru ol lhe Middle Em, Israel, and
dryland Chm: lu.s ml Bulleiin m ol W29). He
nored lhe pailerns ol Ibandonmenl ol hillside
sellelrnenls based on ngrkulm ln rhe semi-arid lands
he risrled, and lhe lvenmal (ancenm‘llon ul
secuenienrs on me valley flwrs, in wadls. and in oases
Many Excavanuna iri llie Saharan arid Thar dcserls
showed lhal (Instwp c sand flows and sllllng had
phlireraced lirsl lhe canals Um \rrlgakd lhese
eel-lame, men lhe seeelenienls thumb/ea.

Today, lhousands ol ahandooed men: he buried in
dark sands, people planled wheel and reaped sail
an" 7,000 years ol lhrs hlslory urn—repealed. Ausmlla
and lndia are or. m: same suicidal palh, We lose
30.non4u,nua ha ol Hub]: land to sali and
desenilieauon each year, lir lhe Wesl Ausrrallan whear
be“. lama ha ol larinland is losl l0 sail annually, and
some 250,000 ha ol salied soils are now noled in
croplands,

in me cenlral Ausuillan deaerl, m. ol lhe land
lounging in 9% or urcorrie, inosl ol which depends on
lourisnr) ls devuled |o unregulaled pasroralrsnr,
producing erosion sears lhal are ionspicious on saiellne
pholograplu so we proceed lo our own more nioderrr
erlrnnion and elirrrinalion vra an ephemeral ecporl
agrieuhure ihai will leauo Ausrnlhnsas a 'lhlrd world"
pmple in a lcw more decades

SALINITY

salr is bmughl in by sea Winds, as rim nuclei. (occur
SALT), irr rernains ui soils and sedinienls liorri inanne
periods lcoNN/im sam Cyche sal- provides planl
numenis, hul can also lorrn sali ponds or crusia it
eraporarecl, as is errdenl in pools on dry, wmdy sea
eeasls sill is also leached lrorn ruck minerals by
groundwarer, which carries large loads ol connale salls
dissolved horn old sea beds in indismroed counlry,
lhe soils or [crests have horh higher sail and orher
rnnreral nurrierils, and marry deser- rreeserude er shore

401