Techniques For Desert Reclamation

Techniques for Desert Reclamation Edited by Andrew S. Goudie School of Geography, University of Oxford Major world environmental issues, such as the degradation of deserts and their margins, are covered in this book. Unlike many volumes which merely analyse the causes and consequences of desertification, this book concentrates on the methods that are available to contend with some of the main symptoms of desert degradation. These symptoms include soil erosion by wind, soil erosion by water, salinization, loss of tree and shrub cover, the loss of animal resources, and the depletion of water resources. If the utility, stability and diversity of arid environments is to be maintained, then the techniques described in this book will need to be employed. The book is global in perspective and is written by academics and consultants with long-continued and diverse experience of desert environments. It attempts to present techniques for desert reclamation in a concise, comprehensive and accessible way, and assumes no technical expertise in the reader.

This book provides an overview of arid and semi-arid lands conditions, their general characteristics, methods of management, conservation, exploitation and reclamation. It also focuses on how to utilize the potential of arid lands with the minimum manipulation and alteration. Arid and semi-arid areas represent a major part of natural ecosystems not only in Iran, but around the world, and mismanagement and inappropriate exploitation of these areas may lead to further gradual degradation. As such, an understanding of the characteristics of these areas is vital if they are to be conserved and reclaimed.

A compendium of current information on arid soils. Provides a comprehensive background of the various soils and biota of arid regions, as well as a detailed account of the current understanding of degradation processes, and includes methodologies for arid land maintenance and rehabilitation and for

This book is about the ‘how’ of desertification control as opposed to an analysis of the ‘why’ and fills a gap in the desertification-related literature in that it shows what to do in situations ranging from fixing mobile sands to arresting accelerated soil erosion in sloping lands. There are numerous illustrations to show the successful techniques. This compilation demonstrates that desertification and land degradation can be controlled and reversed with existing techniques in such widely varying environments as the Sahel of Africa to Sri Lanka and the Philippines in SE Asia, from mountains in Lesotho to low lands on desert margins in Mongolia. Proven approaches include technical interventions, changes in governance and to the legislative framework and policy reform. The book fills a gap in the desertification-related literature in that it shows what to do in situations ranging from fixing mobile sands to arresting accelerated soil erosion in sloping lands.

The soil is a fundamental constituent of the Earth's system, maintaining a careful state of equilibrium within the biosphere. However, this natural balance is being increasingly disturbed by a variety of anthropogenic and natural processes, leading to the degradation of many soil environments. Soil Management provides a comprehensive and authoritative introduction to the many problems, challenges and potential solutions facing soil management in the twenty-first century. Covering a range of topics, including erosion, desertification, salinization, soil structure, carbon sequestration, acidification and chemical pollution, the book also develops a prognosis for the future of soil management in the face of growing populations and global warming. Written with the needs of students in mind, each chapter provides a broad overview of a problem, analyses approaches to its solution and concludes with references and suggestions for further reading. Soil Management will be of great value to environmental science and geography undergraduates taking soil management courses in their second or third year.

These proceedings contain technical papers presented at the Kuwait-Japan Symposium on Restoration and Rehabilitation of the Desert Environment, which was held in Kuwait on 3-4 March, 1996. Kuwait was selected as the site for this fourth symposium because of its enormous need for restoring and rehabilitating its desert environment, and because of the progress which Kuwait and Japan have been making collectively in these efforts at both pilot and field-scale levels. Kuwait's desert land has recently suffered from one of the worst man-made disasters of all time, having been polluted with vast amounts of oil from the nearly 7000 oil wells that were destroyed during the Gulf War. The three themes for the symposium were: remediation of the polluted soil; enhancement of the visual impact of greenery; and recycling of wastewater for rehabilitation purposes. The first theme was highlighted with presentations on the KISR/PEC Oil-Lake Beds Remediation Project. The second theme was launched with a broad-based discussion on new strategies and alternatives for greening the desert and a summary of the Kuwait National Greenery Plan which is now being prepared. The third theme featured presentations on water resource management in Japan and in KISR's Reverse Osmosis Project to make municipal wastewater recyclable for greenery use in densely populated areas. The closing session culminated in perspectives and recommendations from both Kuwait and Japan and with a historical summary of the long-standing Kuwait/Japan Collaborative Program.