The population of Western Asia is growing at an amazing rate.  From 1990 to 1995, most West-Asian countries' populations grew at over 3% per year, one of the highest regional rates in the world.

A larger population requires more food, and many farmers in the area are heavily developing the land.

Often, farmers also move onto marginal lands that are easily damaged by agriculture.  Poor farmers in particular must move onto low quality land, and often lack the resources to use proper amounts of fertilizer.  Such problems are especially severe in countries such as Jordan, Iraq, the Syrian Arab Republic, and Yemen. 

Also, many farmers who cannot use the poorer land for raising crops instead raise livestock on it.  Often, overgrazing is one of the largest problems that the land in a country faces.

As Western Asia develops economically and its society becomes more modernized, new industries must expand onto new land.

Land that could formerly be used to grow crops or that could be left alone to preserve biodiversity must now be used for industrial processes, living space, transportation networks, and other uses.

Increased need for water supplies has led to salinization of water resources.  In addition, many water-based ecosystems have been eliminated, and plant and animal species have been lost.

Major refugee movements and widespread poverty in the region create the problem of overcrowding.  Often, excessively heavy demands are placed on the local environment.