The future threat of desertification in Iraq

Desertification worldwide has increased dramatically since the middle of the last century. This is also a dangerous threat to Iraq, primarily due to years of neglecting this issue. The areas affected by desertification vary from one country to another in the Arab region, which is about (40) million hectares in Iraq. The problem has mainly spread in Iraq due to military operations that have destroyed soil quality since 1980. This has led to other serious consequences: turning productive land into barren land, increased dunes, and increased pressure on groundwater to threaten food and water security. This study will discuss options to address the desertification problem in Iraq for now and how this will progress in 5 years. It will first identify the key issues of desertification in Iraq before evaluating the current and future problem environment. It will also provide potential solutions and a problem cluster now and in 5 years. It is essential to discuss how these will progress into the future, especially in Iraq's unstable political environment with an ongoing war. It will suggest some viable options for the country when political stability is achieved and outline how evaluation criteria can be applied to the possible solutions. Keywords: Desertification; Management; Iraq