850,000 square miles are classified as degraded lands. Land degradation worldwide threatens local livelihoods, while cumulatively imperiling global ecological functionality.
Strangled weeds grow in the ashes of a rain forest burned into oblivion.
Across the continent, deserts overtake grassy meadows. Floodwaters wash away fertile farms. Overshadowed by war, poverty and disease, the biggest threat to Africa's future lies in the land itself, U.N. experts and scientists warned Saturday. Deforestation, overgrazing and harmful irrigation practices are transforming vast areas of the world's poorest continent into virtual wasteland. National economies are crippled, fueling social and political havoc.