ABSTRACT
At the proximate level, desertification is best explained by the combination of broad categories of factors such as agricultural activities (i.e., extension of livestock and crop production), increased aridity, extension of infrastructure (e.g., irrigation techniques, settlement), and wood extraction, or related extractional activities. This chapter summarizes the results based on the frequency of occurrence of proximate and underlying causes of desertification (broad clusters, detailed activities). The mode of causation and the type of interaction between causative variables is explored, addressing hierarchical scales and mediating factors. Tables provide a breakdown of causative variables, both proximate and underlying, by broad geographical regions. The chapter finally presents system properties of desertification (feedbacks, thresholds, control points). The analysis here reveals that, in most cases, three to five underlying causes are driving two to three proximate causes, with agricultural activities and/or climatic factors inherent to all of the causes, not including feedbacks.
