About this Research Topic
Desertification, resulting from climatic varieties and irrational human activities, is currently one of the most important environmental problems affecting 2/3 land of the world and over 40% of the global population. Because desertification has brought poverty, famine, and displacement, hindering the improvement of eco-environment and social-economy in the developing countries and regions, it has attracted the attention of the whole world. Since 1994, when the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was established, all kinds of battles against desertification have been conducted worldwide and expected to succeed.
Nevertheless, a large number of questions concerning desertification have still not been understood, which affects the sustainability of restoring desertified land. For example, misconceptions about desertification have made people confuse natural deserts with degraded land, leading to the restoration measures being applied where they should not be. The lack of a globally unified desertification classification criterion results in the unclear knowledge about the spatial and temporal distribution of desertified land in the world. Therefore, it is difficult to evaluate the achievement of Land Degradation Neutrality quantitatively. More critically, the dynamic mechanisms of desertification affecting soil, water, and plant carrying capacity, have not been profoundly interpreted. The large gap between sciences and policies concerning the rehabilitation of the desertified land requires urgent attention. Based on these considerations, a systemic and comprehensive understanding of desertification and rehabilitation is necessary.
The aim of this Research Topic in Frontiers in Earth Science is to collect high-quality research addressing relative research from the different regions and concerning different fields of work on desertification restoration and restoration. This will be beneficial to better understand the global pattern of desertification and to address current issues and solutions. Research focusing on aeolian desertification, salinization, soil erosion, and the other degradation in arid, semi-arid, and sub-humid regions is also welcome.
The Research Topic should include, but will not be limited to the following sub-topics:
- The concepts and implications of desertification, restoration and rehabilitation;
- The assessment criteria and methods for land degradation (neutrality), desertification, restoration and rehabilitation;
- Monitoring of land degradation (neutrality), desertification, restoration and rehabilitation;
- Process and mechanism of desertification and restoration;
- Regional cases of restoration or rehabilitation of desertified lands;
- Sustainable livelihoods in desertified lands; and
- The roles of scientists, communities, private sector, and government in sustainable land management.
- The impacts of climate change on desertification and rehabilitation
Nevertheless, a large number of questions concerning desertification have still not been understood, which affects the sustainability of restoring desertified land. For example, misconceptions about desertification have made people confuse natural deserts with degraded land, leading to the restoration measures being applied where they should not be. The lack of a globally unified desertification classification criterion results in the unclear knowledge about the spatial and temporal distribution of desertified land in the world. Therefore, it is difficult to evaluate the achievement of Land Degradation Neutrality quantitatively. More critically, the dynamic mechanisms of desertification affecting soil, water, and plant carrying capacity, have not been profoundly interpreted. The large gap between sciences and policies concerning the rehabilitation of the desertified land requires urgent attention. Based on these considerations, a systemic and comprehensive understanding of desertification and rehabilitation is necessary.
The aim of this Research Topic in Frontiers in Earth Science is to collect high-quality research addressing relative research from the different regions and concerning different fields of work on desertification restoration and restoration. This will be beneficial to better understand the global pattern of desertification and to address current issues and solutions. Research focusing on aeolian desertification, salinization, soil erosion, and the other degradation in arid, semi-arid, and sub-humid regions is also welcome.
The Research Topic should include, but will not be limited to the following sub-topics:
- The concepts and implications of desertification, restoration and rehabilitation;
- The assessment criteria and methods for land degradation (neutrality), desertification, restoration and rehabilitation;
- Monitoring of land degradation (neutrality), desertification, restoration and rehabilitation;
- Process and mechanism of desertification and restoration;
- Regional cases of restoration or rehabilitation of desertified lands;
- Sustainable livelihoods in desertified lands; and
- The roles of scientists, communities, private sector, and government in sustainable land management.
- The impacts of climate change on desertification and rehabilitation
Keywords: Climate change, Human activities, Desertification, Rehabilitation, Sustainable
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
