Desert life threatened by climate change and human exploitation
The deserts of the world are threatened by a combination of
human exploitation and climate change that could, within
decades, wipe out many unique habitats and rare species, an
authoritative study has found. While climate change is causing
many semi-dry regions of the world to become increasingly arid,
it is making life more difficult for true deserts that have been
in existence for thousands of years. Deserts account for up to
25 per cent of the Earth's land surface, are home to half a
billion people and account for 12 per cent of the biodiversity
"hotspots" - the richest areas in terms of rare animals and
plants. Yet warmer temperatures and less predicable rainfall
caused by climate change threatens to upset the delicate balance
of desert life which has been honed by thousands of years of
relative climatic stability. Meanwhile, the human exploitation
of desert regions - resulting in the drainage of underground
aquifers and soil poisoning throug