Land Desertification in ChinaGood morning，everyone. I am Zhouyong, my teammates are XX,XX,XX. We are from law school. Today, we are going to talk about land desertification in our country.There are three parts in our presentation. The first part is about the situation of desertification in China. And in the second part, we will talked the causes. At the last, well introduce some measures to prevent and reverse the desertification.Desertification is a type of land degradation which dry land region becomes increasingly arid, loses its bodies of water as well as vegetation and wildlife. In human history, Desertification has played a significant role, contributing to the collapse of several large empires, such as Greece and the Roman Empire. Nowadays, China is also facing this serious problem.SituationChina on a knifes edgeThe sky across North China turned dark yellow, just like the big sandstorm, which implies the countrys worsening desertification.China is currently saddled with 2.6 million square-kilometer area of desertified and sandified land more than a quarter of the countrys total territory, covering 18 provinces and impacting 400 million people. And the amount of desert is getting larger every year. For example, The Gobi desert in central China gobbles up 3,600 square kilometers of grassland each year, creating powerful sandstorms, robbing the food-producing land, and displacing people from their homes. Now, deserts are being created faster in China than anywhere else in the world, with old deserts expanding and new deserts being formed. Chinese desertification even affects neighboring countries such as Japan and South Korea.Causes-the executioner of desertificationThere are two types of factors that cause land desertification in China natural factors and artificial factors.The first type is natural factors. Periodical climate variations from humid to dry and windy, as well as seasonal change in coastal climates, promote regional desertification. For example, in coastal areas of the Yellow and Bohai Seas, a dry climate combined with strong winds in winter and spring has caused seasonal desertification.However, the other type in China, it is caused primarily by human activities. 1. The first reason is overexploitation. Population increases and human activities in dry regions put pressure on natural ecosystems. This exploitation of natural resources, including the natural vegetation resources, land and water resources, causes serious soil erosion that has lead to desertification of these regions.2. The second reason is overgrazing. Overgrazing on the steppe is a wide spread problem in rural areas of north China. The quality of plant species, vegetation coverage of the grasslands are greatly reduced; grassland steppe is more vulnerable to conversion into desert.3. The third reason is overcultivation Overcultivation due to insufficient water supply encourages land desertification in areas with a dry and windy climate. Strong winds and water shortages cause farmland to be decertified and converted into desert.Prevention and reversion Indeed, we really need to pay more attention to land desertification. What measures should we take to prevent and reverse this problem? There are at least 3 main measures we can take.1. The first measure is Integrated land and water management Integrated land and water management are key methods of desertification prevention. All measures that protect soils from erosion, and other forms of soil degradation effectively prevent desertification. 2. The second measure is Protection of vegetative coverProtection of vegetative cover can be a major instrument for prevention of desertification. Maintaining vegetative cover to protect soil from wind and water erosion is a key measure against desertification. Properly maintained vegetative cover also prevents loss of ecosystem services during drought episodes.3. The third measure is Use of locally suitable technologyUse of locally suitable technology is another way for inhabitants of dry lands to work with ecosystem processes rather than against them. Applying a combination of traditional technology with selective transfer of locally acceptable technology is a major way to prevent desertification. Conversely, growing crops unsuited to the soil, will accelerate desertification processes.Desertification has brought great harm to us. But actually, it is our human beings that make it happen. So everyone should take actions to protect the land.That is all. Thanks for your listening!