Fjölrit RALA - 05.12.1999, Page 17

Thadis w. Box
15
Papers presented in this volume have outlined the amount and kind of degraded
rangelands worldwide. Mistreated lands occur on all continents and under all kinds of
conditions. I will try to show the difference between desertification in rich and poor
countries with two short poems. First, the poor countries:
Desertification in
Poor Countries
a tree cut
a shrub pulled
boils tea
bakes bread
warms against
blowing wind
sheep starve
sand blows
a child cries
a mother’s tear
drops on dry ground
While land is degraded in poor countries for survival, other factors are likely to be
more prevalent in the future in rich countries:
Desertifícation in
Rich Countries
four wheelers
made in Japan
bought in U S A
chew hills
above silicone valleys
stock markets
hit new highs
foreign oil flows
sand blows
a child sighs
imported beer
spills on dry ground
We know that desertification continues in both rich and poor countries, but we have
not been able to gamer widespread concem in either. While our ecological tools are
getting better, we cannot agree on a definition among ourselves. We will never have
public enthusiasm for improving the land as long as we try to describe land degrada-
tion with fuzzy concepts and measure desertification with tools as ancient as the Vi-
king boats.