The most immediate cause of human-caused desertification is the destruction and/or removal of the land’s stabilizing vegetation — a process known as deflation.
This is caused, and acts in concert with, a number of other factors — including drought, overgrazing, deforestation, common agricultural practices, and changes in the climate.
With the removal of a region’s vegetation, the soil degrades and erodes very rapidly — leaving an environment that is far less suited to supporting common forms of life. These,