#TFG #Appalachia #Overgrazing #WorldView #Society #HumanNature

It’s all overgrazing, it’s all a tragedy of the commons, and we can’t agree on exactly who to blame for signing this social contract — or how to renegotiate it before the pasture becomes permanently barren. The challenge isn’t identifying the problem — Rousseau and the English figured that out centuries ago. The challenge is mustering the collective wisdom to manage our shared resources before they’re grazed beyond recovery.

https://www.salon.com/2025/07/12/why-appalachia-and-rural-america-clings-to-trump/

Overgrazing (Habitat 🌄)

Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature reserves. It can also be caused by immobile, travel restricted populations of native or non-native wild animals. Overgra...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overgrazing

#Overgrazing #Habitat #LandUse #Livestock #Grasslands #Agroecology

Private landholders control 60% of the Australian continent.
Many of Australia’s ecosystems are severely degraded.
Only 22% of Australia’s landmass is currently protected.

"About 60% of the continent is owned or managed privately – and 70% to 90% of inadequately protected wildlife is found mostly on such land, which includes farms, pastoral leases and mines."

"Through what legal mechanism can private landholders be engaged in biodiversity conservation? A conservation covenant is a legally binding commitment landholders make to restrict how their property is used."

"Existing covenants are generally used to protect high-value conservation land where ecosystems are healthy. Rarely are they used on degraded land needing restoration, such as overgrazed paddocks or former mining."
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https://theconversation.com/private-landholders-control-60-of-the-australian-continent-so-lets-get-them-involved-in-nature-protection-217450
#PrivateLandholders #degradation #mining #overgrazing #ConservationCovenant #NaturePositive #30x30 #nature #wildlife #koalas #Refuges #NatureRepair #restoration #conservation #biodiversity #climate

Estimated 2 billion tons of #sand and #dust are entering the atmosphere per year: ‘We are in a vicious circle’

Story by Jeremiah Budin, December 11, 2023

"#Pollution and human activity have ripple effects everywhere that plants grow, and one of those effects is that there is less land for plants to grow than ever before.

"According to the United Nations, the world is losing around 386,000 square miles (by some estimates, more than Texas and New Mexico combined) of productive land per year to sand and #DustStorms — the result of #HumanActivity, as Reuters reports.

What is happening?

"The United Nations Convention to Combat #Desertification (#UNCCD) recently issued a report that called attention to the issue of land loss due to #SandStorms, which have hit large areas of #Africa and #Asia. According to the report, at least 25% of the storms could be attributed to human activity, such as #overmining and #overgrazing.

Why is this concerning?

"According to the UNCCD report, 'with impacts far beyond the source regions, an estimated 2 billion tons of sand and dust now enters the atmosphere every year, an amount equal in weight to 350 Great Pyramids of Giza.' And while sand storms are common in many regions, this new frequency and intensity are not.

“'We are in a vicious circle, where #LandDegradation is fueling #ClimateChange and climate change is exacerbating land loss in the world,' Ibrahim Thiaw, UNCCD executive secretary, told Reuters.

"Thiaw went on to explain that as the sand storms continue to make an increasing amount of land unfarmable, it affects people’s ability to get food in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries.

“'It goes well beyond individuals,' he said. 'It is affecting the entire community.'

What can be done about it?

"The UNCCD had several recommendations for steps that could be taken to prevent further land loss. For one, it said that funding needs to be increased to tackle the problem, which has drawn less attention so far than other issues caused by human-driven pollution.

"Also, new incentives are needed for the private sector to take responsibility for the land that it destroys.

"As Thiaw told Reuters, #China has been successful at combating desertification and controlling dust, by employing a #LandManagement, #restoration, and #reforestation program."

Source:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/estimated-2-billion-tons-of-sand-and-dust-are-entering-the-atmosphere-per-year-we-are-in-a-vicious-circle/ar-AA1lgYPT?rc=1&ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=04c6b54204964fc2c9a42f16ffd64d9a&ei=8