المستخلص: |
Desertification is one of the contemporary environmental problems threatening man and limits his activities and their development currently and in the future. This requires reducing its effects to protect environment. Since it is not restricted to one specific state, and its effects began appearing in our country, in general, and in the Middle Euphrates Area, in particular, we chose this subject to participate, with other studies, in restricting this phenomenon and what problems it may leads to on the study area reality at the present time and in the future. The study area is characterized by dry and semi-dry features, in addition to the soil features and its structure and what many problems it is accompanied, with, first among them is soil salinity that led to declined agricultural production and deceased cultured areas, besides human features whether were concerning quality of irrigation water or methods and styles of irrigation, in addition to the inadequacy of drainage systems. Moreover, leaving wide areas as unexploited wastelands acted on increasing wind erosion, in addition to the large animal units that exceed grazing optimum capacity of the pastures, overgrazing, and deterioration of natural pastures, besides increased population numbers study area witnesses, and what expansion in constructional advance it requires. All of these are factors contributed to the expansion and versification of desertification manifestations in the study area. The study could specify desertification manifestations in the study area such as soil salinity, wind erosion, and sandhills, and show the environmental effects for each of theses manifestations. Depending on geographical information systems, we could exactly specify desertificated lands, distribute them geographically, and show the effects they are accompanied with. The study also suggested successful solutions to reduce the effects of this problem depending on global experiences that are applied to treat this problem and reduce their environmental effects in the present and future.
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