Libya: Reversal of Land Degradation and Desertification Through Better Land Management - Combating Desertification in Asia, Africa and the Middle East - page 75

Fig. 4.3 Irrigation depends on exploitation of large aquifers that underlie much of Libya

Due to its particular geographical position and extreme climatic variations, Libya
is experiencing a serious problem of land degradation and desertification. Climate
change predictions for North Africa, including Libya, show rising temperatures
with potentially grim impact on the region's already stressed resources including
water and food (IPCC 2007 ). Urbanization coupled with the loss of fertile soils,
overexploitation of water resources, overgrazing, destruction of natural vegetation
and rapid land use change are important reasons for the environmental problems
in Libya. Despite the vast area of the country, most of this area lies within the
warm desert climate that prevails in most of the northern part of the African
continent where the desert covers 98 % of its territory (BinKhayal 1995 ). The only
exception is a narrow coastal strip that extends along the Mediterranean Sea and
some mountainous areas in the north and south, where rainfall in sufficient for the
growth of natural vegetation and cultivation of certain crops and fruit trees.