Impacts of environmental and human factors on desertification-induced land degradation in arid areas

Land degradation is often negatively exacerbated by anthropogenic processes. This phenomenon threatens food security and economic welfare. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the extent of land degradation in Yazd-Ardakan Plain, central Iran, to identify the most prominent criteria contributing to the degradation. The Iranian model of desertification potential assessment (IMDPA) with 9 criteria and 36 sub-criteria was employed for this purpose. Accuracy of the results was confirmed by the results of Spearman’s and Mann–Kendall’s non-parametric tests in terms of significance levels and a Kappa coefficient of 0.61, ending up with an overall validity of 81.7% for the desertification map. The results showed that 67% (mainly rangelands) and 33% (mainly residential lands and surrounding areas) of the study area were potentially exposed to moderate and severe desertification, respectively. The vegetation coverage, groundwater, and climate were found to be the main factors controlling the desertification severity across the region. The human factor was seen to impose, directly and indirectly, the greatest impact on the environmental conditions and land degradation. Focusing on the study area, several management strategies were found to be necessary for avoiding the risk of desertification and rather controlling the factors contributing to desertification phenomenon in an attempt to maintain the current status rather than letting it get even worse in areas exposed to low, moderate, severe, and very severe risks of desertification.