Malnourished: not getting sufficient or correct nutrition from food
Transitional boundary: the boundary between two distinct regions
Grassland savanna: an area of rolling grasslands, scattered with scrubs and sparse trees. It can be found between the tropical rainforests and hot deserts
Biome: natural world regions characterised by groups of plants and animals adapted to specific conditions of climate and soils
Soil erosion is one of the most serious environmental problems facing humans. Some 99.7 per cent of our food is produced on land, with just 0.03 per cent produced in oceans or other aquatic ecosystems. Each year, over 10 million hectares of land loses its fertility, which reduces the amount of land available for food production. The World Health Organisation estimates that over 3.7 billion people are malnourished worldwide as a result of soil degradation. According to current estimates, the amount of soil being lost is between 10 to 40 times faster than the rate of soil creation. This level of soil loss is unsustainable and is now a major concern in many parts of the world. It is typically as a result of environmental problems and human interference. These problems are particularly obvious in the Sahel region.
The Sahel The Sahel is a belt of semi-arid land of roughly 3 million km2
that runs
for 4000 km west to east across Africa. The Sahel acts as a transitional boundary between the Sahara Desert to the north and the grasslands and tropical areas of Central Africa to the south.
Originally a grassland savanna biome, the Sahel is being converted into a hot desert biome which supports a nomadic, pastoral-based society.
Sahara Desert
Côte d'Ivoire : Fig. 27.20 The Sahel region lies to the south of the Sahara Desert
