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| DESERTIFICATION |
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CAUSES OF DESERTIFICATION case study Meme River Forests Reserve Area, Cameroon Desertification, the approach of desert to non-desert areas is influenced by many factors which range from natural and man made effects.The first factor which has been widely noted in most of the forest region is the disappearance of the forest and the increase in temperature. This is due to the cultivation of cereal crops in forest regions which do not need any tree cover for their growth. As such forest are cleaned off giving way for direct sunlight penetration to the crops or earth surface. Soon the lands are degraded. This kind of farming which is mostly of the grassfield, leaves the forest bare without trees. The cultivation of these kind of crops, melon, maize, cassava, beans and other related subsistence crops is due to their growth rate or short harvesting period, ready market and as they serve as staple food, feeding the growing population directly; comparable to cash crops like cocoa, coffee, rubber which have long harvest period, they are seasonal, fluctuating market prizes and cannot be immediately consumed.
The third factor which accounts for the spread of desertification is the rudimentary or old farming system which is still practiced by most dwellers in this part of the continent. Bush fires are rampant and a day to day affair, cultivators tend to penetrate the forest for fertile lands leaving the old exhausted lands due to their ignorance or low knowledge in the application of organic and inorganic manure and no finance to purchase modern tools or apply modern technologies. Fourthly is the high demand of timber in the developed world by multinational companies and for construction of houses and other wooden products like furniture. This is attached to the scale of Corruption within these governments and countries.
Sixthly, the lack of sensitisation to the local communities on the effects of desertification in relationship to plant and animal life keeps the spread of desertification unpreventable. Sensitisation is mostly absent in schools and colleges. Local communities, community based organisations and other interested parties. The seventh point account for these countries having many cultural groups, Cameroon having about 232 cultural groups equally accounts for the spread of desertification. This is because some cultures will tend to cultivate crops promoting the spread even though they maybe aware of the effects this could have on the spread of desertification and climate change. Lastly and not the least Poverty greatly contributes immensely to the spread of desertification. For more information on desertification vist The United Nations Convention to Combat Desrtification www.unccd.int/ Some selected Internet Sites on desertification http://www.iisd.ca/desert/desertsites.html
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Secondly, the disappearance of the forest has been to search for fuel wood. Fuel wood is used in kitchens at homes for cooking and in some cases for heating. Fuel wood is equally used in ovens to dry cocoa beans, and in bakeries to bake bread and other food products. If not all, most of the population in the equatorial region use fuel wood as the only source of household energy since most of the communities are not having hydro electricity power (HEP) and are not accessible for hydrocarbon fuel, like methane. That not withstanding, they cannot afford to buy hydrocarbon products like kerosene or gas.
Fifthly, most of these communities tend to burn products releasing abundant heat in the atmosphere and carbon compounds contributing to increasing the heat energy. This kind of products are waste or scrap tires and waste fuel gas and other related compounds. |
HISTORY OF FEEDAR ARTICLES NEWS |