Editing IPCC:AR6/WGII/Cross-Chapter-Paper-3 (section)

==== CCP3.2.1.6 Change in Herbaceous Cover ====

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Changes in aridity ( [[#Rudgers--2018|Rudgers et al., 2018]] ) have caused some expansion of dominant grasses (often invasive) into desert shrublands. The spread of invasive ''Bromus tectorum'' may be enhanced by altered precipitation and freeze–thaw cycles ( ''low confidence'' ) ( [[#Collins--2015|Collins and Xia, 2015]] ; [[#Rudgers--2018|Rudgers et al., 2018]] ). Arid grassland has expanded (between 10–100 km) into the eastern Karoo, South Africa ( ''high confidence'' ) ( [[#du%20Toit--2015|du Toit et al., 2015]] ; [[#Masubelele--2015a|Masubelele et al., 2015a]] ; 2015b). Observations from 100-year-old grazing trials demonstrate that the increase in grassiness is a product of shift in rainfall seasonality and an increase in rainfall ( [[#Du%20Toit--2014|Du Toit and O’Connor, 2014]] ; [[#du%20Toit--2015|du Toit et al., 2015]] ; 2018; [[#Masubelele--2015a|Masubelele et al., 2015a]] ;, 2015b). These changes are causing an increase in fire frequency in these seldom burnt areas ( [[#du%20Toit--2015|du Toit et al., 2015]] ). The Sahara was suggested to have expanded 10% from 1902 to 2013 ( [[#Thomas--2018|Thomas and Nigam, 2018]] ), although herbaceous vegetation production has increased in general in the Sahel since the dry 1980s ( [[#Eklundh--2003|Eklundh and Olsson, 2003]] ; [[#Anyamba--2005|Anyamba and Tucker, 2005]] ; [[#Herrmann--2005|Herrmann et al., 2005]] ; [[#Hutchinson--2005|Hutchinson et al., 2005]] ; [[#Olsson--2005|Olsson et al., 2005]] ; [[#Fensholt--2006|Fensholt et al., 2006]] ; [[#Dardel--2014|Dardel et al., 2014]] ; [[#Hiernaux--2016|Hiernaux et al., 2016]] ; [[#Stith--2016|Stith et al., 2016]] ; [[#Benjaminsen--2019|Benjaminsen and Hiernaux, 2019]] ; [[#Hiernaux--2020|Hiernaux and Assouma, 2020]] ).

Trends of land degradation ( [[IPCC:Wg2:Chapter:Chapter-16#16.4.1.2|Section 16.4.1.2]] ) and desertification (as demonstrated by loss of cover or reduced vegetation productivity) as an impact of changing climatic trends have been reported in Burkina Faso ( [[#Zida--2020|Zida et al., 2020]] ), the northwestern regions of China during 1975–1990 ( [[#Zhang--2020|Zhang et al., 2020]] ) in Afghanistan ( [[#Savage--2009|Savage et al., 2009]] ), Iran (Mahmoudi et al., 2011; [[#Kamali--2017|Kamali et al., 2017]] ), Argentina ( [[#Barbosa--2015|Barbosa et al., 2015]] ) and India ( [[#Javed--2012|Javed et al., 2012]] ). Encroachment, re-greening and an increase of unpalatable plant species into rangeland areas (e.g., in East Africa and southern Africa’s Kalahari) all contribute to dryland degradation through the loss of open ecosystems and their services ( [[#Reed--2015|Reed et al., 2015]] ; Le et al., 2016; [[#Chen--2019b|Chen et al., 2019b]] ).

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