Desertification is a complex process involving climatic factors, biophysical and social leading a decrease in fertility at the same time and of the natural environment and the extension of poverty. It is then necessary to increase the level of populations by continuing the support of their activity, soil fertility, or by ensuring the promotion of other activities that relieve pressure on land. Desertification is inseparable issue of sustainable development of dry zones. Desertification affects both natural areas as pasturage, rainfed and irrigated crops.
The pursuing of population growth and intensification of using methods soil in desert regions that leads to essential environmental issues.
For this it should define :
The perspectives of the program that should result in:
- Master wind erosion
- Evaluate, preserve and restore degraded zones
- Diagnose the environmental risks associated with current uses and future of soils
- Create a quality observation networks of the arid and semi arid environments.
THE OBJECTIVES
The program revolves around three thrusts and a pedagogical axis :
- Study the desertification mechanisms in relation with the variation rate of vegetation cover according to the spatial and temporal variability of the soil occupation.
- Characterize the changes of soil conditions and improvement spaces
- Evaluation of the impact of human activities on the expansion of desertification .
- Develop a pedagogical resources center on trades in the sustainable management of soils resources and prevention of desertification risks.
THE STRATEGIC THRUSTS
- Increase the knowledge about the transformations and the evolutions of desert environments of anthropogenic and natural origin
- Elaborate tools to diagnose and prevent the risks that follow from human activities in cultivated areas on the evolution of water and soil resources.
- Contribute to the definition and the development of new modes of sustainable management of desert land.
THE OBJECTIVES :
* Production of decision -making tools :
- To produce thematic maps on the desertification condition
- To produce maps of soil degradation .
- To produce maps of sanding
- To produce maps of sandy dunes dynamic threatening trunk and rail infrastructures
- Mapping land cover / soils cover.
THEMATICS:
- Identification of dynamic measure indicators of desertification relating to the various sectorial development, (agricultural development sanding of trunk roads), urban development (sanding of cities, for example) and regional planning in general.
- Vegetation Measures (floristic composition, covered, density ...)
- Studies of soil (surface condition ...)
- Measures of climate parameters: T, pulviometry, wind ...
- Socio-economic data (population, spatial practices, systemic analysis of societal change to measure the impact on the space occupation in the in the steppe and oasis areas)
- Elaboration of synthetic indicators: occupation evolution in land and soils, risk index cards to desertification, prospective scenarios
