DRYLAND DEVELOPMENT , DESERTIFICATION AND SECURITY IN THE MEDITERRANEAN

Bioclimatically, The Mediterranean basin comprises a transition between southern desert (Saharian-Arabian deserts) and northern non-desert (European woodlands). Using UNEP´s aridity classification, the political boundaries of all Mediterranean countries include the whole range of dryland types: from south to north, southern Mediterranean countries which are closer to the Sahara-Arabian deserts than the northern Mediterranean countries, have hyper-arid drylands (true deserts), semi-arid drylands, and dry-subhumid drylands; north Mediterranean countries have semi-arid drylands, dry subhumids drylands, and non- drylands regions – humid areas. The UNCCD does not regard hyper-arid drylands as prone to desertification, hence all Mediterranean countries have within their boundaries areas prone to desertification and areas not prone to desertification; in southern Mediterranean countries not prone to desertification are the southern-most and driest regions, and in the northern Mediterranean countries – these are the northern-most and driest region, and in the northern Mediterranean countries – these are the northern-most and least dry regions. The eastern Mediterranean countries – Israel, Lebanon and Syria combined, present the full south- northen gradients of the global drylands. The southernmost of the three, Israel comprises all four dryland types within its boundaries with more than half of its territory prone to desertification, and the analysis of its development, desertification and security can serve as a case study with lessons to the Mediterranean region as a whole. From the dawn history the country has been under intensive land use by humans, including pastoralism and cropping. The new Israel viewed its semi-arid areas, most prone to desertification, as a security risk, and set out to settle them mainly through agricultural development, extensive afforestation projects, rehabilitation of vegetation and restoration of water-related ecosystem services. Exploitation and grazing pressure on the dry subhumid scrublands have been reduced, with fast transition of the vegetation to woodland formation, with restoration of water and soil related ecosystem services. The sustainability if this agricultural development and its potential to avert salinization were driven by transportation of high-quality irrigation water from dry subhumid-generated resources to drier regions. This has been augmented by water conservation hinged on drip irrigation, and by research and extension services. Dry subhumid areas, arid and hyperarid areas have benefited from the agricultural experience gained in the semi-arid region and the infrastructure established to supor tit. Afforestation practices developed for the dry subhumid areas have “migrated” to semi-arid and arid regions. The discovery of geothermal, brackish fossil groundwater and the adaptation of greenhouses to growth houses in dry and hot regions provided farmers with options of intensive cash-crop agriculture and aquaculture – practices that are economic on land use and hence of little if any desertification impact. During its first decades, Israel rehabilitated many previously desertified areas and prevented further desertification. But in recent decades desertification has reemerged. In the dry subhumid areas there is soil salinization, and increasing impenetrability of dry sughumid woodland and “bush encroachment” leading to degraded range quality and woodland fires leading to soil erosion. In the semi-arid areas there is soil erosion of irrigated fields and intensified gully erosion in croplands and rangelands. Salinization of a large scale is expected due to expanding areas of agriculture irrigated with non-desalinated treated wastewater. Thus, rather than generating security problems due to desertification, the attempt to avert security problems by intensified development, eventually lead to desertification.