Impacts of land degradation in the Sahel region
- expansion of desert in semi arid land means reduction in land available for crops and pasture. Can lead to less crops reducing farmer income resulting in farmers not being able to support family and buy essentials
- crop failure and death or livestock can cause starvation and malnutrition
- decrease in available fuel-wood leading to people buying alternative fuels such as oil which is bad for environment (more CO2) causing climate change. Also more expensive for locals
- people struggle to survive in all these conditions so may be large scale migration to urban areas which can put attritional stain on already overcrowded areas such as shanty towns that are already scarce on resources such as water
- social tensions and conflict can arise in areas as people fight over land and food
- many people who leave their land may end up in refugee camps where conditions are poor, and disease may spread rapidly
- increase in environmental damage resulting from wind and water erosion causing desertification and advance of the Sahara desert
- loss of traditional skills, knowledge and farming meaning cultures change eg pastoral nomadism. Lack of education means people struggle to learn new skills and many people give up their way of life
- a change and loss of fauna and flora and a reduction in biodiversity of the landscape can affect food chains and wildlife in the area
Desertification management strategies and effectiveness
- moveable fences allows farmers to restrict grazing animals to specific areas, remaining land can recover. Farmers move animals between fenced areas reducing dangers of over grazing eg in burkino faso. Cheap method once fences bought, little maintenance.
- crop rotation where farmers grow different crops on different areas of land each year leaving some land empty allowing some areas of grassland to recover between years. Cheap, little maintenance, farmers can’t grow as much as fewer fields so issues in areas that struggle with famine
- reforestation where farmers plant trees in dry areas of land in a ditch to encourage water to collect encouraging growth. Interception means rain hits ground with less intensity so more water infiltrates into soil and less soil is washed away, tree roots help hold soil together reducing erosion, expensive and takes long time to grow (not effective immediately)
- magic stones is when stones are built in lines following land contours which stops soil being washed away downslope. Soil can build up behind stones encouraging infiltration and crop growth. Increased yield by 50%, cheap and uses local materials (good for developing countries), very labour intensive
- irrigation is artificial watering of crops from stored water helping keep soil moist, allowing crop growth and preventing soil from blowing away. Successful as long as water is available from storage, prevents soil erosion and increases yield, overuse of soil can reduce fertility so fertiliser may be needed in future (expensive)
- terracing is when steps are cut into the sides of slopes to help reduce runoff, retaining topsoil and water. Fanya Juu terraces in Tanzania can be made by digging a drainage channel and throwing soil uphill to make ridge. Water infiltrates into group so less topsoil and nutrients are washed away, cheap (most can afford), requires a lot of maintenance
Land use conflicts - problems, solutions and effectiveness with conflict between farmers and tourists
With reference to the Lake District :
- tourists may not have their dogs leads, this can cause sheep worrying which is a particular issue during lambing season and sheep may miscarry their lambs. One solution would be to put up signs to tell people to keep dogs on leads, however very often people will not read the signs or just choose to ignore them so this isn’t an effective solution.
- gates are often left open by tourists which can livestock to escape fields and get killed on roads, causing farmers to lose out on money. One solution is to put up signs telling them to close gates however people may not read them so a more effective solution is spring loaded gates which are effective as they close automatically.
- tourists may drop litter which is unattractive to landscape and polluting. Litter can also cause animals to choke or get ill if they eat it again causing farmers to lose out on money. One solution is to take away bins to encourage people to take their litter home
- tourists may climb over walls and knock them down, creating expensive repairs that come out of the farmers budget. One solution is to add more gates or styles so tourists are more encouraged to use them.
Problems caused by traffic congestion in honeypot towns such as Keswick
With reference to the Lake District : (mainly conflict between tourists and locals here)
- tourists often park at the side of narrow roads which blocks the flow of traffic as towns that people are attracted to are not big enough to support such large volumes of traffic
- traffic congestion and traffic jams increase air pollution as people are sitting with their engines on for long periods of time without moving
- congestion makes people frustrated especially locals trying to get to work or businesses trying to make deliveries as it increases time to get to places which leads to higher fuel consumption and costs
Solutions and effectiveness to traffic congestion around honey hot towns
- one solution is putting in bus timetables next to tourist attraction leaflets to encourage people to take public transport. This sometimes works to encourage the use of public transport however the buses often don’t go to all the attractions, and it restricts time that can be spent places
- park and ride where people park in designated car parks that allows easy access to buses to go to different attractions. This encourages people not to park at the sides of narrow roads however people often prefer the convenience of their own car
- building large car parks at the edge of towns. This works to reduce congestion in the towns themselves, however can cause further conflict with conservationists as the car parks can be seen to ruin the natural landscape
Problems with quarrying
- creates a permanent car on the landscape causing conflict with conservationists
- increased noise pollution from blaster and heavy vehicles transporting materials which can cause conflict with tourists and locals through just want some peace and quiet
- heavy vehicles needed to transport materials for quarrying often block narrow roads coming back to congestion probes,s and causes conflict with locals and tourists travelling to places it increases journey times and fuel consumption and cost
Solutions and effectiveness to problems with quarrying
- planting a wall of trees around the quarry to screen it and hide it away from tourists coming to give areas of natural beauty. However this looks very unnatural and takes a long time to grow so isn’t effective immediately
- limit blasting times to specific times of the day so it is not continuous. Not convenient for quarriers as they are just a business trying to make money
- restrict times that lorries are on roads to reduce traffic congestion caused by larger vehicles. Hard to avoid times with locals and tourists on roads as the roads are never completely empty
Problems with footpath erosion
- as the ground is trampled on by tourists, vegetation is unable to grow and the soil becomes exposed causing conflict with farmers
- with periods of rain this becomes muddy so people walk off the path
- the path and area around it gets worn away and becomes a permanent mark on the landscape causing conflict with conservationists
Solutions and effectiveness to problems with footpath erosion
- putting up signposts to tell tourists to stick to designates oaths and not wander, can also try to educate tourists on the problems with damage to footpaths. Not everyone will read the signs
- cloche netting mats out down to protect the underlying ground. Protects ground well however often looks very unnatural
- stone pitching it where stones are used to create more resistant footpaths using local stones. Can look more unnatural and doesn’t stop people wandering off the path
Problems, solutions and effectiveness of lake Windermere
- the waves, engines and speed of the boats can cause the banks to be eroded causing conflict with conservationists
- the water can be polluted due to fuel spills and litter being dropped by tourists again brining conflict with conservationists
- noise pollution from speed boosts and tourists can disrupt local wildlife and annoy locals as they can’t get any peace again brining conflict with conservationists as well as locals
- one solution is using resistant rock or wire mesh to re-enforce banks and hold them together. This reduces erosion from waves but looks very unnatural and unappealing
