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Abstract
Nimroz Province, located in southwestern Afghanistan, is exposed to desertification due to its arid and semi-arid climate. Reduced rainfall, rising air temperatures, overgrazing, and unsustainable use of natural resources are considered the main factors contributing to the degradation of vegetation cover in this province. This study was conducted to assess the status of desertification in Nimroz and to identify the factors influencing it. For this purpose, changes in land cover for the years 2000, 2010, and 2020, as well as trends in rainfall, humidity, and air temperature over a decade, were analyzed to determine the role of climatic indicators in accelerating desertification. The results indicate that the significant decline in vegetation cover and the increase in barren lands are directly associated with decreased rainfall and rising air temperatures. Finally, key strategies for controlling desertification and achieving sustainable land management are proposed.
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References
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References
انصاری، س. (۱۳۹۴).جغرافیای عمومی ولایات افغانستان (چاپ اول). کابل: انتشارات سرور سعادت.
خزائی، ز(۱۴۰۲). بررسی تخریب پوشش گیاهی در تشدید پدیده بیابانزایی در برخی مناطق بیابانی جنوب کشور. فصلنامه اقتصاد و توسعه پایدار، (۵)، ۱۳۷–۱۴۸. بازیابیشده از http://www.ijtds.ir/files/cd_papers/r_1_250208174612.pdf
قادری، ع.(1403) . تحقیق پیرامون اوضاع جغرافیای ولایت فراه و نیمروز (رساله علمی – تحقیقی).
نصرتی، ر.(1399). تحلیل و ارزیابی خشکسالی حوزه های آبی کابل-آندوس و هلمند(رساله علمی-تحقیقی)
وزارت انرژی و آب. (۱۴۰۲). گزارش دیتاهای بارندگی،رطوبت و درجه حرارت، سالهای ۲۰۱۰–۲۰۲۲. کابل، افغانستان: وزارت انرژی و آب.
Bhatta, B. (2011). Remote Sensing and GIS (2nd ed.). Oxford, India: Oxford University Press
Burrell, A. L., Evans, J. P., & De Kauwe, M. G. (2020). Anthropogenic climate change has driven over 5 million km² of drylands towards desertification. Nature Communications, 11(1), 3853. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17710-7
Chang, K.-t. (2008). Introduction to Geographical Information System (16th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies.
ICIMOD. (2022). Land cover of Afghanistan [Data set]. ICIMOD. https://doi.org/10.26066/rds.197318
IPCC. (2019). Climate Change and Land: An IPCC Special Report on Climate Change, Desertification, Land Degradation, Sustainable Land Management, Food Security, and Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in Terrestrial Ecosystems. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. https://www.ipcc.ch/srccl/
IPCC. (2022). Chapter 3: Land Degradation and Desertification. https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/sites/4/2022/11/SRCCL_Chapter_3.pdf
IPCC. (2025, April 20). Special Report on Climate Change and Land. https://www.ipcc.ch/srccl
Jami, M. Y., Koocheki, A., Nassiri Mahallati, M., Khoramdel, S., & Nazarian, R. (2024). Evaluation of the diversity of agroecosystems in Afghanistan. Environmental Sciences Journal. https://doi.org/10.48308/envs.2024.1359
Li, Y., Jiang, L., Yuan, H., Li, E., & Yang, X. (2024). The impact of artificial afforestation on the soil microbial community and function in desertified areas of northwest China. Forests, 15(7), 1140. https://doi.org/10.3390/f15071140
Ogunrinde, A. T., Adeyeri, O. E., Xian, X., Yu, H., Jing, Q., & Faloye, O. T. (2024). Long‑term spatiotemporal trends in precipitation, temperature, and evapotranspiration across arid Asia and Africa. Water, 16(22), 3161. https://doi.org/10.3390/w16223161