One report by the UNEP of desertification in Bangladesh mistakenly included all the paddy fields as desert because they were dry at the time when the pictures were taken. And the spread of thorn bushes in East Africa is destroying feeding grounds for nomadic cattle herds. Yet a satellite will register increased biological productivity. Critics of the orthodox idea of spreading deserts say it is still implanted in the minds of policy-makers. This can affect the lives of millions of people since land degradation is a major ingredient in the recipe for famine.
Correct diagnosis is essential in responding to crises in the dry lands of the world.
If it is seen as climatic change, permanent withdrawal is called for. If there has been near-complete devegetation, in the absence of a climatic change, the treatment is reseeding or replanting. If the diagnosis is that the desert is actively expanding at its margins, then same kind of holding line might be the answer. There is no point in planting trees to halt the desert's progress if it is not moving or if the changing climate won't let the trees grow. Many countries, including Mali, Algeria, Iran, Sudan and Somalia, have planted trees in an effort to halt the desert.