Desertification in Australia

Australia is synonymous with many things: high temperatures, dangerous and venomous animals, and vast rocky deserts. Given the name “the outback” the Australian desert is one of the largest in the world and dominates the continent's interior. However, on the outskirts of the continent lie rich and diverse terrain and ecosystems, ranging from tropical rainforests  in the north east, to alpine environments and chaparral in the southeast and west. However, this region, which is home to a majority of the human occupants of the region, is in danger. 

Desertification, or the transformation of non-arid areas into deserts and drylands, is a plague on the environment which is becoming more and more common globally as climate change worsens. Desertification poses a threat to these unique landscapes on the fringes of Australia, as well as the entire population of Australia. What little arable land the Australians have, they use for farmland and ranching, but their breadbasket is rapidly falling subject to the effects of desertification, making it unfertile, and prone to wildfires and mudslides. In addition, over the course of the last few years, much of Australia has swung back and forth from its wettest to its driest years, causing intense weather that leads from apocalyptic wildfires to record-setting destructive floods. Food Production has also plummeted, particularly in Southwest Australia, due to the shift of Arable lands into drylands. 

So what can the Australian government do to stop the unstoppable tide of climate change? They have proposed an answer: They have implemented the Indigenous Protected Areas program, which sets aside land to be controlled by the Australian ranger system to combat land degradation through sustainable water management, rehabilitation, and wildlife control. So what do I think should be done? The answer is simple: planting trees. By planting forests and increasing the tree cover in an area, ground temperatures plummet, biodiversity increases, and the precipitation cycle can be assisted. The future of Australia is not set in stone yet, but without serious human and government intervention, it might already be too late. 

Bibliography

Pickup, Geoff. "Desertification and climate change--the Australian perspective." Climate Research 11.1 (1998): 51-63.

Dregne, H. E. "Desertification of arid lands." Physics of desertification. Springer, Dordrecht, 1986. 4-34.

Ludwig, John A., and David J. Tongway. "Desertification in Australia: an eye to grass roots and landscapes." Environmental monitoring and Assessment 37.1 (1995): 231-237.

Mabbutt, Jack Alan. "Desertification in Australia." Arid Land Development and the Combat Against Desertification: An Integrated Approach. (1986): 101-109