Land includes soil and water resources, land surface and vegetation or crops. Degradation implies reduction of resource potential. It is important, however, to recognize that desertification is a discrete process of land degradation throughout the drylands and quite separate from the phenomenon of observed cyclic oscillations of vegetation productivity at desert fringes. But this is a completely different phenomenon from that of desertification. All over the world extensive areas of productive land are subject to ecological degradation.
Damage is primarily due to excessive use.
Exploitation beyond the carrying capacity of the rangelands, cutting forest trees at rates faster than rates of regeneration, and over-dosing farmlands with irrigation water or agrochemicals are examples of unsustainable use. Reduction of plant cover leads to accelerated soil erosion and other forms of deterioration of the physical, chemical and biological attributes of soil and of the productive capacity of the land. This is a significant failure in resource management and it relates to world capabilities to produce food and other basic requirements for the escalating numbers of mankind. Desertification like other forms of land degradation can be stopped. There is enough scientific knowledge and technological means to allow the implementation of programmes for combating desertification in the field in most instances.