2006年VOA标准英语-Desertification a Growing Concern

By Zulima Palacio
Washington, DC
01 August 2006
 
watch Desertification Overview
 
  
  
Desertification is the gradual and dangerous degradation¹ of productive land into useless desert. Land experts have been concerned about the process for two decades.  The United Nations declared 2006 the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. 

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dead animal  
  
Forty percent of our planet's land is considered dry land, vulnerable to become arid², infertile³ and desert-like.  The United Nations has called desertification "a major threat to humanity" and "one of the world's most alarming processes of environmental degradation." 

Moctar Toure works with the Global Environment Facility, an organization of the United Nations and the World Bank.  The African native says desertification today affects 100 countries. 

 
Moctar Toure 
  
“It is widespread.  Dry lands cover about 40 percent of the lands of the globe and affect one third of the total population of the globe, so we're talking about two billion people affected⁴ by dry lands, by degradation,” he says.

Some of the most affected regions are sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia and northeastern Brazil.  Toure says the loss of productivity there has deep implications for the wellbeing and livelihood⁵ of the people, as well as the integrity of the ecosystems⁶.  He says desertification triggered by climate change could trigger a mass exodus⁷ of people looking for more productive land. 

"The impact of climate change is going to be a major factor in the expansion of the desertification phenomena⁸."

Experts agree that the desertification has multiple causes, all of them related to human activity.  Population growth, poor land management, and the pressure on natural resources in already fragile areas have led to the loss of biological diversity. 

 
Robert Winterbottom 
  
Robert Winterbottom is a senior manager at the International Resources Group in Washington.  The group provides professional services in natural resources, sustainable land use and desertification, mostly in Africa.  He says, "Typically when you get the wet periods restored then the vegetation comes back, there is a tremendous capacity in nature left to its own devices to regenerate⁹, to protect itself.  So in these areas that are heavily impacted by men, by people, that you do have desertification."

Winterbottom says desertification can be reversed through the planting of trees and better land management.  His group and USAID have worked to stop the desertification of Africa for the last 30 years.

"We just completed a study in Niger which shows that there are two, three million hectares of land that now has more tree cover on it and has become more productive, work crop is increasing, people are getting higher income and that is despite regular variations in rain fall and despite other problems that could have gone the other way," says Winterbottom.

Experts say prevention is the real solution.  They say once desertification has started, it is very expensive to restore the land. 

At the Global Environment Facility, Moctar Toure says some people are doing their best to fight desertification, with limited results.  "I think we're not doing enough. The extent of the problem is so huge that it would require a major global commitment to bring it back to manageable proportions." 

1 degradation   

n.降级；低落；退化；陵削；降解；衰变

参考例句：

• There are serious problems of land degradation in some arid zones.在一些干旱地带存在严重的土地退化问题。
• Gambling is always coupled with degradation.赌博总是与堕落相联系。

2 arid   

adj.干旱的；(土地)贫瘠的

参考例句：

• These trees will shield off arid winds and protect the fields.这些树能挡住旱风,保护农田。
• There are serious problems of land degradation in some arid zones.在一些干旱地带存在严重的土地退化问题。

3 infertile   

adj.不孕的；不肥沃的，贫瘠的

参考例句：

• Plants can't grow well in the infertile land.在贫瘠的土地上庄稼长不好。
• Nobody is willing to till this infertile land.这块薄田没有人愿意耕种。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

6 ecosystems   

n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句

7 exodus   

v.大批离去，成群外出

参考例句：

• The medical system is facing collapse because of an exodus of doctors.由于医生大批离去，医疗系统面临崩溃。
• Man's great challenge at this moment is to prevent his exodus from this planet.人在当前所遇到的最大挑战，就是要防止人从这个星球上消失。

8 phenomena   

n.现象

参考例句：

• Ade couldn't relate the phenomena with any theory he knew.艾德无法用他所知道的任何理论来解释这种现象。
• The object of these experiments was to find the connection,if any,between the two phenomena.这些实验的目的就是探索这两种现象之间的联系，如果存在着任何联系的话。

9 regenerate   

vt.使恢复，使新生；vi.恢复，再生；adj.恢复的

参考例句：

• Their aim is to regenerate British industry.他们的目的是复兴英国的工业。
• Although it is not easy,you have the power to regenerate your life.尽管这不容易，但你有使生活重获新生的能力。