Box 7B Desertification in Europe

Desertification is now considered to be a major environ-mental problem affecting the most fragile areas of the Earth. Although it has been questioned whether this phenomenon is occurring in Europe, it is now accepted that desertification is affecting the Mediterranean region. It is caused by a combination of human exploitation (population pressure and landuse) that oversteps the natural ecological potential of the land, and the inherent fragility of the resource system.

In the Mediterranean, desertification has arisen for a variety of reasons:

The most obvious symptoms of desertification relate to a reduction in the biological and economic productivity or value of a piece of land (UNEP, 1992) and include:

In the soil, desertifications lead to the lowering of organic matter content, deterioration of soil structure, changes in salt and water balances, higher surface runoff and higher erosion risks.

According to the World Atlas of Desertification (UNEP, 1992), the lands in Europe with the largest dry zones susceptible to desertification are found mainly in Spain, Sicily and the former USSR. Desertified areas are mainly uncultivated and abandoned lands (15 million hectares), dry lands (13 million hectares) and irrigated lands (1.6 million hectares).

The problem of desertification is manageable in principle, mainly through the use of proper irrigation systems, water management practices and reforestation. If these actions are technically feasible and practically implementable, they need special political and economic support, with due consideration given to social aspects, to be effective and sustainable.

Despite the severity of the problem, data are poor on recent trends in the extent of the desertifying areas in the northern Mediterranean region, as well as on the factors that are causing desertification and the processes involved. The EU has established programmes of investigation designed to identify, understand and mitigate the effects of desertification in Southern Europe. More research is particularly needed with regard to climate change and in the context of the World Convention to Combat Desertification (presently being negotiated in the framework of the United Nations). Changes in climatic conditions are likely to be exacerbated as a result of global warming due to the enhanced greenhouse effect. The risk of a northward shifting of the nearest desert belt, which might then cover Southern Europe, cannot be excluded and should receive the closest attention.