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The environmental, economic, and social development impact of desertification in Iraq: a review on desertification control measures and mitigation strategies

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Abstract

The threat of desertification is considered a global concern that occurs in many environments in different parts of the world, where extensive lands are transformed gradually into desert or semi-desert areas, and this causes economic and health issues. Iraq and many other parts of the Middle East are facing desertification threats in the last twenty years. Despite the significance of this issue, relevant reviews are scarce. The removal of vegetation cover, overgrazing, deforestation in times of war, poor irrigation practices and water scarcity are some of the main causes of desertification in Iraq. Fighting desertification requires cooperative efforts including the utilization of innovative practices, biotechnological approaches, restoration of oases, continuous reforestation, and rehabilitation of agricultural lands. The objective of this review article is to discuss the causes of desertification and land degradation in Iraq, highlighting the main natural and human factors involved, and the consequent impact on the national security, economy, society, and health. In addition, it suggests recommendations for policies and actions that can be integrated to mitigate this problem.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to Magdalena Muhr from Mapcreator (https://www.mapcreator.io/) for cooperation in creating the maps of this review article.

Funding

This work received no external funding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Mathematics, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Tanjong Malim 35900, Perak, Malaysia

    Jameel R. Al-Obaidi

  2. Environmental Science Department, College of Environmental Science and Technologies, University of Mosul, 41002, Mosul, Iraq

    Mohammed Yahya Allawi & Bilal Salim Al-Taie

  3. Department of Plant Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology, Al‐Nahrain University, Baghdad, 64021, Iraq

    Khalid H. Alobaidi

  4. Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Food Sciences, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, 31982, Saudi Arabia

    Jameel M. Al-Khayri

  5. Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia

    Sumaiyah Abdullah

  6. Malaysian Nature Society (MNS), JKR 641, Jalan Kelantan, Bukit Persekutuan, 50480, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    E. I. Ahmad-Kamil

Authors
  1. Jameel R. Al-Obaidi
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  2. Mohammed Yahya Allawi
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  3. Bilal Salim Al-Taie
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  4. Khalid H. Alobaidi
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  5. Jameel M. Al-Khayri
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  6. Sumaiyah Abdullah
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  7. E. I. Ahmad-Kamil
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Contributions

J.R.A.-O designed conceptualization; J.R.A.-O., B.S.A.-T., K.H.A., M.Y.A., S.A., E.I.A.K. contributed to writing/original draft preparation. B.S.A.-T., and M.Y.A helped in onsite visits and pictures acquisition. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jameel R. Al-Obaidi.

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Al-Obaidi, J.R., Yahya Allawi, M., Salim Al-Taie, B. et al. The environmental, economic, and social development impact of desertification in Iraq: a review on desertification control measures and mitigation strategies. Environ Monit Assess 194, 440 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10102-y

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