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Faariyah Baig

Professor Ludwig

English 101H

7 October 2017

Desertification: A Need for Change

Man has always been dependent on the harmonious balance of nature in order to survive

and thrive on the planet. It is this balance that ensures equilibrium exists to protect our natural

resources while the world is rapidly expanding in the fields of construction and industrialization.

A rising concern that poses a potential threat to the destruction of this balance is desertification.

Desertification refers to the continuous conversion of the Earths naturally fertile grasslands and

forests into arid areas of land that eventually deteriorate into deserts. Humans are to blame for

their various developmental activities that are the real contributors to this phenomenon. These

activities include rapid deforestation, overgrazing, and the burning down of trees to clear land for

agricultural purposes. Years of such abuse has resulted in the changing of the world climate,

leading to desertification, an immense threat to the balance of nature which is essential for the

survival of mankind.

Don Marquis expresses the eradication of Earths resources in his poem written by

Archy in what the ants are saying. In this text, a cockroach writes about the imminent

obliteration that Earth will succumb to, unless a significant change is made. Archy admits his

sadness by writing of the abundant foliage that has deteriorated into barren desert lands due to

mans over-consumption of products. Marquis uses this unique stance to bring attention to the

rising issue of desertification. The author uses many appeals to logic and emotion in his poem.

Pathos can be detected through the tone of the language used to describe obliteration to Earths

lands. Marquis aims to connect his audience to the source of the problem by detailing to issues of
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desertification, and the lasting consequences that are inevitable to follow. By using the voice of

an innocent cockroach, he recognizes that our actions affect not only humanity, but also all other

inhabitants of this world. Marquiss insightful view of these different perspectives persuade his

audience to strive for conserving the natural resources of Earth, in an effort to better our planet

for all those living on it. However, instead of striving for the rejuvenation of nature, mankind has

taken advantage of its elements in pursuit of materialistic gains. After years of exploitation and

abuse of nature, we have been left with mere deserts in place of the greenery that once was.

Marquis makes his concerns more prevalent by adding many accounts of destruction caused by

humans. He consistently writes of the bountiful lands of Egypt, America, and Africa in which

humans have conquered and destroyed. By writing this column, Marquis pleads with humanity to

restore our planet to its original glory and prosperity. Marquis states that the greed of mankind

has robbed the soil and wasted nature, which incites the guilt we should feel for the wrongs

that have been committed to Earth (Marquis 236). While Marquis states many examples of

desertification to Earths landscapes, he reassures us that mankind still has the ability to restore

nature to its prior grandeur. By taking Archys warning and instilling a vision of reform, we may

undo the corruption of nature, and make the Earth whole again for all.

Britannica defines desertification as the process by which natural or human causes

reduce the biological productivity of dryland ecosystems (Rafferty). For decades, Earth has

faced detrimental damage through loss of vegetation and incessant deforestation. This increase in

desertization has been caused by numerous exploitations of nature such as climate change,

unsustainable irrigation and over-consumption of natural resources. All over the world, land has

progressively become arid due to the depletion of natures greenery. The United Nations

Environment Program has classified desertification as the worlds leading crisis in ecological
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development as it has affected over 14 million square miles of Earths naturally vegetated areas.

Climate change has significantly increased the dehydration of grasslands and has led to long

periods of drought in countries such as Saudi Arabia and parts of Africa. As a result, more than

200 million people have suffered from the lasting effects of this environmental issue and

continue to seek refuge. Typically, these dry regions receive less than 50 inches of rainfall

annually. With increase in global warming, rainfall is even scarcer in areas that are limited in

supplies of water and the necessities of agriculture. This causes detrimental changes to Earths

drylands, resulting in extended periods of drought and reduction of biological productivity

(Rafferty). This is predominantly visible in the many terrains that are affected by this natural

disaster. Similar to Marquiss claims, this source verifies desertification to be a leading crisis that

has been aggravated by humanitys destruction of nature.

Humans are directly responsible for the depletion of vegetation such as forests and

natural groves for their expansion purposes, thus inadvertently facilitating the erosion of fertile

soil. The forest trees and their roots ensure that nutrients are retained in the soil during rainfall.

By removing acres of such trees, the land is left exposed such that heavy rainfall causes water to

run-off, taking away with it vital elements that are required for healthy foliage. This leaves the

soil devoid of its otherwise natural fertility and gradually makes the land barren. This infertility

progressively expands to neighboring areas, eventually changing what would have otherwise

been a fertile piece land to desert. Desertification is also caused by mans incessant burning of

natural grasslands to clear land for agricultural fields. Canal irrigation, or other such inadequate

methods of irrigation, leads to desertification by accumulating salt in the soil, making it

unsuitable for the growth of healthy crops and plants. However this degradation can be stabilized

when farmers plant perennials throughout their fields, as this would serve to reverse the soil
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runoff. Furthermore, increasing the population of plant species that are resistant to salinity and

drought aids in maintaining the fertility of the soil (Armani 66). This reduces the alkalinity of

the soil, thus helping the farmers grow better quality crops. This mutual interdependence benefits

the farmers by protecting their fields from desertification as well as maintaining the

environmental balance of nature.

One of the biggest contributors to desertification is the immense overgrazing that has

stripped fertile grasslands and left vast areas of land barren and treeless. Livestock grazing

causes two types of damage: one to the soil and the other to the vegetation. The animals damage

the soil that they walk over to replenish themselves by attaining water. The plants and roots on

the path that is taken by these animals get trampled and are thus destroyed over the years. This

causes the hardening and depletion of the topsoil, as farmers do not take appropriate measures in

making sure their livestock do not destroy the soil which is so vital to the growth of the grass.

This damage is further worsened by rainfall which causes water to run along these paths, and

wash away the fertile nutrients in it. When animals graze, they eat away the plants and remove

what is needed for photosynthesis, causing the plants to further deteriorate. The rapid increase in

world population has required a corresponding increase in the need for livestock. Man has

resorted to breeding livestock that in turn requires food. This need for food has resulted in

worldwide overgrazing which has also contributed vastly to the disappearance of fertile

grasslands which became pastures for animals and soon turned into arid and dry wastelands.

Incessant overgrazing has proven to be harmful for the environment through abundant loss of

biodiversity. This prediction was clearly made in what the ants are saying and continuously

shows the repercussions of mans actions on these landscapes.


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Not only has overgrazing caused mass dehydration to grasslands, this agricultural

procedure has also led to the implementation of other degradation methods. This includes

policies leading to unsustainable resource use and lack of supportive infrastructure, causing

farmers to resort to land depletion (Green Facts). These land tenure practices allow farmers to

overexploit grassland resources which directly results in the depletion of nutrient rich soil needed

for grass to grow. These tactics are most commonly seen in herders who do not maintain security

on the land which they graze on. Because the land is not officially theirs, the farmers have no

incentives to sustain the land. This results in water scarcity, groundwater depletion, soil erosion,

and salinization caused by farmers who are not concerned with the fertility of these soils. Water

logging is an unsustainable irrigation method used by farmers in drylands. This procedure

involves soaking agricultural land caused excessive irrigation. Waterlogging compresses

necessary topsoil while also removing the oxygen from the roots of the plants grown on such

drylands. This agricultural method also results in the buildup of excessive salts in soil, known as

salinization. Such unsustainable irrigation techniques directly correlate to the cause of

desertification.

I strongly support the views and claims made by Don Marquis in his column, what the

ants are saying regarding the various risks posed by mans ever- increasing need for expansion

and industrialization. This need eventually leads to the eradication of forests and grasslands,

leaving a stark imbalance in nature and the environment. We need to raise world-wide awareness

to the increasing danger posed by this very prominent global issue. Desertification threatens to

destroy Earths ecological balance and causes adverse conditions to the healthy survival of

mankind.
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The subject that needs to be focused on to sustain our symbiotic relationship with nature

is how man is going prevent climate change, unsustainable irrigation methods, and rampant

overgrazing. Climate change and global warming have resulted from years of environmental

damage caused by various human developmental activities such as construction, deforestation,

industrialization, inadequate disposal of chemical wastes, pollution and over-consumption of

natural resources. We will need to reverse this damage by conserving, if not restoring our natural

resources that have been lost over the years. Unsustainable irrigation methods have led to the

depletion of vital nutrients from the soil, resulting in the transformation of fertile grasslands into

infertile, arid barren lands. We will need to rethink and implement irrigation strategies that are

more favorable to the ecosystem. Overgrazing has also caused years of damage that have

converted fertile, grassy areas to dry and desolate land. This needs to be reversed and accounted

for in the years to come.

The significance and the power of nature on mankind cannot be underestimated. If not

corrected and stopped immediately, the damage we have done so far to nature will be

reciprocated back to us in one way or another. Mans survival on Earth has been a form of

symbiosis, where each has benefitted from and given to the other. This needs to be maintained in

the same way going forward. Man cannot abuse this delicate balance without bearing the brunt of

it in very adverse ways. The effects of nature are incomparable to anything else that humanity

may ever experience. By understanding the risks that pose a threat to our survival as a

civilization, we can work to minimize and correct its damage. If we are able to restore this

balance and maintain it going forward, we can ensure our healthy survival on this planet for

generations to come.
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Works Cited

Arami, Seyed Abdolhossein and Ownegh, Majid. Assessment of Desertification Risk in Semi-

Arid Agh-Band Region, Golestan Province, Iran. International Journal of Agriculture

and Crop Sciences, ProQueust, Ed. Vahedberdi Sheik. 5, 2013, pp.51-62.

Abdi, Omar A., Glover Edinam K., Luukkanen, Olavi. Causes and Impacts of Land

Degradation and Desertification: Case Study of the Sudan, International Journal of

Agriculture and Forestry, Vol. 3 No. 2, 2013, pp. 40-51. doi: 10.5923/j.ijaf.20130302.03.

Marquis, Don. what the ants are saying. American Earth, Ed. Bill McKibben, The Library of

America, 2008, pp. 235-238.

Rafferty, John P. and Primm, Stuart L. Desertification. Encyclopdia Britannica ,

Encyclopdia Britannica, Inc. , Feb. 11, 2014. Britannica's Original Sources

[Encyclopaedia Britannica], www.britannica.com/science/desertification.

Green Facts. Desertification. 4. What Are the Major Causes of Desertification?, Cogeneris,

2005, www.greenfacts.org/en/desertification/l-3/4-causes-desertification.htm#1p0.

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