Page 2 - Perspective Paper

Contents

1 Key message ............................................................................................................................................ 4
2 Degradation in Northern Africa: a multi-causal phenomena ................................................................... 6

2.1 Palaeoclimatological and geomorphological signs of degradation ................................................. 6
2.2 History of human settlements and mobility patterns ..................................................................... 8
3 Reciprocity between land cover and climate ........................................................................................ 10

3.1 The climate regulating role of the biosphere ................................................................................ 10
3.2 Atmospheric moisture recycling and terrestrial precipitation ...................................................... 11
3.3 Afforestation to enhance terrestrial precipitation ........................................................................ 12

4 Relevance to the Sinai Peninsula ........................................................................................................... 14
4.1 Degradation of the Sinai ............................................................................................................... 14

4.2 Regreening scenario...................................................................................................................... 15
5 Final remarks ......................................................................................................................................... 16
6 References ............................................................................................................................................. 18

A strategic ‘living systems’ approach to climate stabilization 2/26