The assessments of desertification status in Africa presented in this article were made for a global survey commissioned by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in the early 1980s as part of a report on progress in the first seven years of operation of the UN Plan of Action to Combat Desertification (PACD). The assessments are based primarily on physical and biological indicators, including reduction in the area of woodland and forest, deterioration of rangelands, soil degradation and accelerated erosion of rainfed croplands, mobilization of dunes and sand sheets and attendant increase in airborne dust, reduction in amount and quality of water resources and waterlogging and salinization of irrigated lands. With respect to desertification trends, recourse was made to consideration of current trends in the major factors held to be contributing to desertification, including land use, rainfall, demographic and economic changes and political events. The current status of desertification and desertification trends are examined for the following areas: the Sudano-Sahelian region, Africa south of the Sudano-Sahelian region, and Mediterranean Africa. The author shows that it is the tropical drylands, including Africa south of the Sahara, which stand out as areas of accelerating desertification. In conclusion, attention is paid to the global context and future trends of African desertification. Bibliogr.
