Desertification

thumb|right|An actively eroding rill on an intensively-farmed field in eastern [[Germany. This phenomenon is aggravated by poor agricultural practices because when ploughing, the furrows were traced in the direction of the slope rather than that of the terrain contour lines.]] Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is distinct from weathering which involves no movement. Removal of rock or soil as clastic

upright=1.4|thumb|Global distribution of Drylands|dryland areas based on the [[aridity index computed over a 30-year average during 1981 to 2010. Typical deserts are indicated by the hyper-arid category (light yellow).]] thumb|right|234px|Extreme desertification in Somalia Desertification is a type of gradual land degradation of fertile land into arid desert due to a combination of natural processes and human activities.

desert on the seabed once occupied by the Aral Sea

African global initiative against desertification in Africa

International treaty on environmental protection

United Nations observance day, 17 June

series of human-planted windbreaking forest strips in northern China for halting desertification and for timber

process of man-made reclamation of deserts

desert

area under desertification in Dolj County, Oltenia, in Romania

Aridification is the process of a region becoming increasingly arid, or dry. It refers to long term change, rather than seasonal variation.

Projet of reforestation in Algeria

Africa faces severe degradation.