The Effects of Desert

Exploitation and Abuse

A Formal United Nations Report
Ana Wengert-Ramos

Figure 1. The Sonoran Desert in Arizona. (Brookshire)

Contents
Abstract 3

The Need for Deserts 3

Scientific Advancement 4

Mistreatment & Desertification 5

Impacts on People & Wildlife 6

The Need for Global Support and Legislation 6

Reducing Exploitation 6

Implementing Sustainable Practices 7

Recovering Losses 7

Conclusion 8

References 8

Figures
Figure 1 1

Figure 2 4

Figure 3 5

2
Abstract
Covering more than one-fifth of the Earth, deserts are found on every continent and are home
to over one billion people. Commonly thought of as hot, sandy places, there are actually many
cold deserts as well. Additionally, only about 20% of deserts are actually covered by sand
(Nunez). Some deserts are part of the few remaining areas of total wilderness. Plants and
animals have evolved ways to remain cool and live off of less water. There are insects, such as
the Namibian desert beetle, that can even harvest fog from the air for water. Plants may go
without water for years at a time and continue to survive. Due to their highly specialized
adaptations, desert wildlife is extremely vulnerable to changes in their habitat (Nunez).

The people of deserts come from a rich and diverse culture. One-sixth of the Earth’s population
live in desert regions and three of the largest religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, all
originated in the deserts of the Middle East. These deserts continue to hold an important place
in the ideology of these religions. Archaeological evidence suggests that humans have actively
chosen to enter and remain in desert lands since 60,000 years ago, even after they became
increasingly arid. For most of this time period, human survival in the desert primarily depended
on a nomadic way of life, following food sources and trading at various towns and ports, while
others settled around oases (Haynes).

Unfortunately, deserts are often considered to be barren places only useful for things such as
oil extraction and bomb testing. This not only harms native wildlife, but also local peoples.
Deserts don’t need to be forced to become covered in green or only viewed as a place for
resources in order to be valuable. Global policies must be implemented and respected in order
to protect the billions of lives that depend on deserts remaining as they naturally are.

The Need for Deserts

“The Arabs do not speak of desert or wilderness as we do. Why
should they? To them it is neither desert nor wilderness, but a land of which

3
 they know every feature, a mother country whose smallest product has
a use sufficient for their needs. They know, or at least they knew in the days
when their thoughts shaped themselves in deathless verse, how to
rejoice in the great spaces and how to honour the rush of the storm.”
Gertrude Bell, The Desert and the Sown (1907)

Scientific Advancement

Figure 2. The South Pole Telescope at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. (Haynes)

Minimal light pollution, cloudless nights, and a dry atmosphere make deserts an ideal location
for powerful telescopes, such as the South Pole Telescope (figure 2), which has discovered
thousands of galaxy clusters. Observations about the distant past of our universe can be made
due to the environment deserts have provided (Haynes). These regions can also be incredibly
diverse. The Mojave desert, the hottest and smallest desert in North America, is one of the
most diverse deserts both topographically and vegetatively. It contains woodlands, sand dunes,
canyons, streams, and more (“Deserts”). Some desert environments are so harsh that scientists
have studied them for clues about life on Mars (Nunez). The destruction and abuse of these
environments will lead to a massive loss of potential scientific advancements.

4
Mistreatment & Desertification
As human demands and deforestation increase, so does desertification. This is the process that
leads semi-arid regions to turn into desert. These are caused by the actions of humans,
degrading the quality of the soil and leaving it vulnerable to erosion (figure 3). In contrast,
natural deserts are any
place that receives less
than 10 inches of rain per
year, and they often lose
more moisture through
evaporation than they
receive from annual
precipitation (Nunez).
Humans in the area are
discouraged from living
near areas affected by Figure 3. An area affected by desertification. (Means)

desertification as dust storms increase and soil quality decreases, and animals are displaced
from their natural environments (Nunez).

It is not just one factor causing the degradation of deserts. Military training activities,
recreational off-road vehicles, extractive mining activities, and the overgrazing of livestock all
cause lasting damage to these beautiful habitats. Even at a small scale, these activities can have
a significant impact on surrounding areas (“Deserts.”). Oil spills, both on land and in bodies of
freshwater, often occur in North African and Arabian deserts, leading to lethal coatings of oil on
animals and plants, including human food sources. Modern mining methods are water-
intensive, and often result in the springs and wells in a region to dry up. While tourism can
create awareness and respect for deserts, it also leads to large numbers of people expecting the
comforts they are accustomed to, heavy foot traffic on sensitive soils, and excessive off-track
vehicle traffic. These actions damage slow-growing vegetation, leading to increased wind and
water erosion. Looting of archaeological sites as well as the destruction of rock art frequently

5
occur, as they occur in remote, hard to monitor locations, leading to a large loss of culture
(Haynes).

Impacts on People & Wildlife

Deserts don’t typically produce more than what is required to support native plants and wildlife
communities. The overgrazing of livestock puts much more stress on the environment than is
needed. In combination with the spread of non-native, invasive plants, this results in severe
water and land management conflicts between livestock and nature (“Deserts”).

Colonization, industrialization, and resource removal all attack the traditional nomadic ways of
life many groups have lived for centuries. The vast areas needed to sustain the nomadic and
pastoral lifestyle are no longer available. By forcing people into villages and towns,
governments are able to better control these indigenous groups of nomads. Their nomadic
virtues and lifestyle are flaunted voyeuristically for the benefit of tourists, such as the Bedouin
theme parks and Amazigh marriage festivals promoted by Arab governments. Meanwhile, these
indigenous groups are marginalized and poor, with no choice but to participate in these
performances that many of them view as degrading. Groups such as the Tuareg in North Africa
have lost thousands of lives during severe droughts from being excluded from programs that
offer food relief, medical supplies, and development (Haynes).

The Need for Global Support and Legislation

Reducing Exploitation
The treatment of deserts as ‘empty spaces’ with nothing to contribute but resources and a
place to test weapons cannot continue. We as the United Nations must agree to heavily
decrease the testing of weapons, both nuclear and otherwise, in desert regions. Additionally,
the extraction of oils and other such resources must occur responsibly to ensure the protection
of native peoples and the local environment. Precautions must be in place to minimize
potential damage, and guidelines set for what must happen should damage to the environment

6
occur. A minimum standard of environmental health following any such extractions will be put
in place, with hefty fines for those who do not abide by them.

Implementing Sustainable Practices

Tourism can lead to much damage to desert environments, and this must be managed. What
tourists are allowed to do, where they are allowed to go, and the resources available to them
must be overseen to ensure no abuse nor overuse occurs. A cap will be placed on the number
of tourists allowed on sensitive soils, and instead efforts will be made to redirect public
attention to places with the infrastructure to properly support tourism. Non-native plants and
animals should be reduced and removed in order to maintain balance between farms and
native wildlife and contribute to the health of local ecosystems. Sustainable irrigation and
farming practices should be incentivized and encouraged in order to ensure the longevity of all
in these regions.

Recovering Losses
Restoration can be expensive, but it is a necessary step. Fines collected from violators of these
new standards will be given to local governments. Not only does this aid in the recovery of the
environmental damage sustained, it also contributes to economic growth as reform and more
sustainable development occur. In addition, the reduction in weapon testing occurring in desert
environments would result in a significant improvement in the quality of life as native wildlife
are allowed to repopulate and those living in nearby regions no longer have to worry about
potential repercussions of said testing.

The removal of non-native wildlife in addition to sustainable practices allow for the
repopulation of native plants and wildlife. This combats deserts created via desertification
(Nunez). Additionally, ensuring the continued health of natural deserts allows for more
scientific advancements to be made, particularly regarding what is outside of our planet,
something which is difficult to research in other environments.

7
Conclusion
We can benefit from deserts without destroying them. There are many things contributing to
the degradation of deserts around the world. Thus, policies must be implemented from the
global all the way to the local levels in order to properly care for the health of these
environments and continue to reap their many benefits. By responsibly using deserts, we
ensure that future generations will be able to enjoy the planet we leave them, rather than
having to fix our mistakes.

References
Baeza, Andres, et al. “Climate Forcing and Desert Malaria: The Effect of Irrigation.” Malaria
Journal, vol. 10, no. 1, 2011, https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-10-190.

Balba, M.T., et al. “Bioremediation of Oil-Contaminated Desert Soil: The Kuwaiti Experience.”
Environment International, vol. 24, no. 1-2, 1998, pp. 163–173.,
https://doi.org/10.1016/s0160-4120(97)00132-3.

Brookshire, Bethany. “Scientists Say: Desert.” Science News for Students, 9 Oct. 2020,
https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/scientists-say-desert.

“The Desert Festival in Rajasthan: APT Time & Place to Delve into the Colors of India.”
Utsavpedia, 10 Aug. 2017, https://www.utsavpedia.com/ethnic-hubs/desert-festival/.

“Deserts” Defenders of Wildlife, Defenders of Wildlife,

https://defenders.org/wild-places/deserts.

Fallahzade, J., and M.A. Hajabbasi. “The Effects of Irrigation and Cultivation on the Quality of
Desert Soil in Central Iran.” Land Degradation & Development, vol. 23, no. 1, 2010, pp.
53–61., https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.1049.

8
Hardtack De Baca. 26 Oct. 1958.

Haynes, Roslynn Doris. Desert: Nature and Culture. Reaktion Books, 2013.

Means, Tiffany. “What Is Desertification, and Where Is It Happening?” Treehugger,

https://www.treehugger.com/what-is-desertification-5115926.

Nunez, Christina. “Desert Information and Facts.” Environment, National Geographic, 3 May
2021, http://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/deserts/.

Wiesman, Z, et al. “Optimization of Saline Water Level for Sustainable Barnea Olive and Oil
Production in Desert Conditions.” Scientia Horticulturae, vol. 100, no. 1-4, 2004, pp.
257–266., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2003.08.020.