Is Desertification Really Happening?
Desertification is the process whereby tracts of land that were once covered in vegetation are transformed into sand in which it is difficult for plants to grow. A 1991 study by the UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) put the area of land around the world affected by desertification at about 360 million hectares which is equivalent to about one quarter of all land area. The population of people affected is around 900 million or one sixth of the Earth’s population. The Horqin area in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China is one of the places suffering from severe desertification.
