Are long-term vegetation dynamics useful in monitoring and assessing desertification processes in the arid steppe, southern Tunisia

A vegetation-focused diachronic study to monitor and assess desertification processes in the southern Tunisian steppes was carried out between 1975 and 2000. Climatic variability and land use changes have caused considerable changes in vegetation units and in the structure of ecological systems duri...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of arid environments 2008-04, Vol.72 (4), p.557-572
Main Authors: Hanafi, A., Jauffret, S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
agriculture
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Arid land
Biological and medical sciences
botanical composition
climate change
Demecology
desertification
Ecological change
ecological degradation
ecosystems
environmental impact
environmental monitoring
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Land degradation
land use change
Land use/land cover
palatability
perennials
plant communities
Plants and fungi
Steppe
steppes
Synecology
temporal variation
Terrestrial ecosystems
vegetation
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Summary:A vegetation-focused diachronic study to monitor and assess desertification processes in the southern Tunisian steppes was carried out between 1975 and 2000. Climatic variability and land use changes have caused considerable changes in vegetation units and in the structure of ecological systems during the past 25 years. About 10% of the steppe area has been taken over by agriculture, shrinking perennial plant cover has led to the appearance and dominance of a highly degraded vegetation class (perennial plant cover
ISSN:0140-1963
1095-922X
DOI:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2007.07.003