Growing deserts 'a global problem'

A new UN-produced report on Global Desertification (part of a series examining the state of the world's biological resources) was released on the eve of 'World Day to Combat Desertifcation,' which marks the 11th anniversary of a UN agreement to tackle spreading deserts. The report said that that up to 20 percent of those areas had already suffered some loss of plant life or economic use as a consequence of desertification. It said that global warming was likely to exacerbate the problem, causing more droughts, heat waves and floods. But human factors have also played their part, with over-grazing, over-farming, misuse of irrigation and the unsustainable demands of a growing population all contributing to environmental degradation.

UN Experts warn that some of the world's poorest populations were likely to be among the worst affected, with large swathes of Central Asia and the areas to the north and south of the Sahara in danger of becoming unsuitable for farming.