|
|
Land
at Risk of Human-Induced Desertification
|
|
|
|
| Degree
of Risk |
Area
at Risk
|
Area
at Risk
|
|
Million
Hectares
|
Million
Square Kilometers
|
|
|
100
|
| Low
risk |
710
|
7.1
|
| Moderate
risk |
860
|
8.6
|
| High
risk |
1,560
|
15.6
|
| Very
high risk |
1,190
|
11.9
|
|
|
|
| TOTAL |
4,920
|
49.2
|
|
|
|
| 1
Hectare = 2.47 Acres
|
| Note:
Totals may differ because of rounding.
|
|
|
|
| Source:
Hari Eswaran, Paul Reich, and Fred Beinroth, "Global Desertification
Tension Zones," in D.E. Stott, R.H. Mohtar, and G.C. Steinhardt (eds.),
Sustaining the Global Farm (2001), pp. 24-28.
|
|
Soil
Degradation by Region in Susceptible Drylands, 1990s
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Water
erosion
|
Wind
erosion
|
Chemical
deterioration
|
Physical
deterioration of the soil structure
|
Total
|
|
Million
Hectares
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| North
America |
38.4
|
37.8
|
2.2
|
1.0
|
79.4
|
| South
America |
34.7
|
26.9
|
17.0
|
0.4
|
79.0
|
| Europe |
48.1
|
38.6
|
4.1
|
8.6
|
99.4
|
| Africa |
119.1
|
159.9
|
26.5
|
13.9
|
319.4
|
| Asia |
157.5
|
153.2
|
50.2
|
9.6
|
370.5
|
| Australasia |
69.6
|
16.0
|
0.6
|
1.2
|
87.4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Total |
467.4
|
432.4
|
100.7
|
34.7
|
1,035.2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Note:
Totals may differ because of rounding.
|
| Source:
United Nations Environment Programme, cited in GEF-IFAD Partnership,
Tackling Land Degradation and Desertification (Washington,
DC: July 2002).
|
|
Extent
and Severity of Land Degradation Worldwide
|
|
|
| Continent |
Extent of Degradation
|
|
None
|
Light
|
Moderate
|
Strong
|
Extreme
|
|
Percent
of Total Land
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Africa |
83.0
|
6.0
|
6.0
|
4.0
|
0.2
|
| Asia |
82.0
|
7.0
|
5.0
|
3.0
|
0.1
|
| Europe |
77.0
|
6.0
|
15.0
|
1.0
|
0.3
|
| North
America |
93.0
|
1.0
|
5.0
|
1.0
|
0.0
|
| South
America |
86.0
|
6.0
|
6.0
|
1.0
|
0.0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Source:
United Nations Environment Programme, Global Environmental Outlook
3 (Nairobi: 2002), p. 65.
|
Table
and Graph: World Grazing Animal Stocks, 1950-2001
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back to Eco-Economy Update Text
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