... to stay all-year round in areas formerly grazed only during the rains when seasonal pans held water. Where not correctly planned and managed, provision of drinking water has contributed to the massive advance of deserts in recent years as animals gather around waterholes and overgraze the area. * Cultivation of marginal lands, i.e. lands on which there is a high risk of crop failure and a very low economic return, for example, some parts of South Africa where maize is grown. * Destruction of vegetation in arid regions, often for fuel wood. * Poor grazing management alter accidental burning of semi-arid vegetation. * Incorrect irrigation practices in arid areas can cause Stalinization, (the build up of salts in the soil) which can prevent plant growth. When the practices described above coincide with drought, the rate of desertification increases dramatically. Increasing human population and poverty contribute to desertification as poor people may be forced to overuse their environment in ...

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