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Which areas of Asia have been strongly affected by desertification?

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A map of the continent of Asia, including its countries, boundaries, and capital cities, as well as parts of Europe, Africa, and surrounding oceans. — Asia Map showing the countries and national capitals of Asia.

In Asia, desertification—the process by which dryland ecosystems lose their biological productivity due to human activities and climatic factors—has significantly impacted several regions.12

Areas experiencing the most drastic changes include:

The Thar Desert: The eastern margins of the Thar (Great Indian) Desert in South Asia have been subject to intensive desertification, largely driven by livestock overgrazing.3
Inner Mongolia and the Ordos Region: These areas in China have faced severe desertification, also attributed to intensive overgrazing by livestock.3
The Aral Sea Basin: Located in Middle Asia, this region has suffered from environmental degradation due to large-scale irrigation for cotton cultivation. This practice reduced the flow of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers, causing the sea to shrink and leaving behind a toxic, salt-laden seafloor that contributes to regional dust storms.3
The Gobi: In the Gobi, the overuse of marginal lands and population increases since the 1950s have led to decreased vegetation cover and increased soil erosion, causing the desert to expand into surrounding semiarid grasslands.4