SOIL EROSION RISK IN EUROPE (original) (raw)

Soil erosion is a widespread threat to European soils. According to expert estimates, based on non-standardised data (World Map of the Status of Human Induced Soil Degradation (GLASOD), 1990), 26 million hectares in the EU suffer from water erosion and 1 million hectares from wind erosion. In order to gain more accurate and possibly also geo-referenced information on this degradation process, a number of research programmes have been initiated by the European Commission. Starting with the CORINE assessment of 1992 there have been 10 years of intensive activities at EU level aiming at achieving a better understanding of the causes and the extend of soil erosion in Europe. The more recent results by the European Soil Bureau and of the Pan-European Soil Erosion Risk Assessment (PESERA) programme allow for an improved delineation of areas in Europe at risk of erosion. Results demonstrate that, although the Mediterranean region is historically the most severely affected by erosion, there is growing evidence of significant erosion occurring in other parts of Europe (e.g. Austria, Czech Republic and the loess belt of Northern France and

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