climate change on UAE - Stockholm Environment Institute-US Center

camels and other large herbivores in previous
centuries, camels are the only domestic animals
that are currently allowed to move and graze
freely through out the desert. Social and cultural
considerations for camels have been behind the
lack of regulations controlling their movement
(Gallacher et al, 2008).
Some evidence supports the camel grazing
for replenishing the ecology of the desert,
indicating that some grazing may be required
to maintain plant biodiversity and maximize
biomass production (Oba et al., 2000; Zaady
et al., 2001). The study further indicated that
grazing is unlikely to significantly impact
annual or perennial plants within the season
of germination, due to the short exposure time
to herbivores. And that the growth of perennial
species is reduced only by heavy grazing which
could also lead to loss of habitat, while moderate
grazing could provide a chance for the species
to survive and to compensate for the loss in
numbers.
A report by ICAEDA, stated that nomadic
grazing systems in arid and semi-arid regions
have evolved over many centuries into a
complex set of practices and knowledge that
has permitted the long-term maintenance of a
sophisticated “triangle of sustainability” that
includes plants, animals, and people as a rational
response to erratic <strong>climate</strong>s with limited annual
precipitation. The report added that socioeconomic
<strong>change</strong>s involving livestock subsidies
and the introduction of water tankers increased
herd sizes manifold to suit the new economic
conditions.
Desertification and land
degradation
The UNCDD defines desertification as the
degradation of land in arid, semi-arid, and dry
sub-humid areas. It is caused primarily by
human activities and climatic variations. It
occurs because dryland ecosystems, which
cover over one third of the world’s land area,
Impacts, Vulnerability & Adaptation for
Dryland Ecosystems in Abu Dhabi
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