MAURITANIA: Desertification threatens to wipe out livelihoods, communities

NOUAKCHOTT Tuesday, December 02, 2008 (IRIN) - Environmental degradation, responsible for the dangerous displacement of sand dunes in Mauritania, has wiped out homes, livestock and livelihoods throughout the desert country. An October UN study estimated that land degradation costs nearly US$200 million annually in potential revenue losses and health care expenses. UN researchers calculated the value of lost cultivable land, disappearing trees and water sources, along with the health care...