Desertification Information System to support National Action Programmes (DIS/MED)
331
Changes in one single country rapidly spread through the whole region, at the
environmental as weU as at the social and economic levels. The Mediterranean Sea
has always been a shared space and one ofthe most effective - almost virtual- media
for the circulation of information at aU levels.
The characteristics of this area represent an ideal case for the testing and
validation of an operational information system to support planning, where
desertification is not so closely linked to the survival ofthe populations involved, but
to a complex economic model.
3 Problems to Be Addressed
The main problems of the Mediterranean soils are irreversible losses due to
increasing soil sealing and soil erosion. These processes will continue and probably
increase as a result of climate change, land-use changes and other human activities 2 .
Although soil degradation is generally recognised as a serious and widespread
problem, its quantification, geographical distribution and total impact affected are
only roughly known'.
Notwithstanding the preparation of some National Action Programmes to combat
desertification (NAPs), the new initiatives for natural resources management are not
the result of a coherent and organised framework of actions. The fight against land
degradation in the Mediterranean countries has not yet attained significant and
diffused results.
Tackling the problem ofland degradation in the Mediterranean is a complex task
due to the co-existence of various causes at different levels. In particular, the
interlacing of institutional and technical causes entails to address both aspects at the
same time.
The main problems to be addressed can be summarized as follows:
National and sub-regional policies to combat soil degradation are often based on
an empirical evaluation and qualitative analysis, rather than on information
resulting from data analyses, due to the limited interaction between scientific
institutions and policy makers.
The NAPs of the Mediterranean countries are not based on common and
homogeneous information, due to the scarce linkages amongst the national
institutions of the different countries.
2 The Mediterranean countries are experiencing severe soil erosion problems, which can reach the
ultimate stage and lead to desertification. At present rates of erosion, considerable areas in the
Mediterranean and the Alps, currently not at risk, may reach a state of ultimate physical
degradation, beyond a point of no return within 50-75 years. Somc smaller areas have already
reached this stage (Van Lynden, 1995).
1 The most recent assessment of soil conditions in Europe is an evaluation of the current state of
human-induced soil degradation, derived by ISRIC in 1993 from the world map on the status of
human-induced soil degradation (Maps of soil degradation in Europe, prepared by ISRIC, are
published in EEA, 1998). There is a need for better, and more detailed information.
331
Changes in one single country rapidly spread through the whole region, at the
environmental as weU as at the social and economic levels. The Mediterranean Sea
has always been a shared space and one ofthe most effective - almost virtual- media
for the circulation of information at aU levels.
The characteristics of this area represent an ideal case for the testing and
validation of an operational information system to support planning, where
desertification is not so closely linked to the survival ofthe populations involved, but
to a complex economic model.
3 Problems to Be Addressed
The main problems of the Mediterranean soils are irreversible losses due to
increasing soil sealing and soil erosion. These processes will continue and probably
increase as a result of climate change, land-use changes and other human activities 2 .
Although soil degradation is generally recognised as a serious and widespread
problem, its quantification, geographical distribution and total impact affected are
only roughly known'.
Notwithstanding the preparation of some National Action Programmes to combat
desertification (NAPs), the new initiatives for natural resources management are not
the result of a coherent and organised framework of actions. The fight against land
degradation in the Mediterranean countries has not yet attained significant and
diffused results.
Tackling the problem ofland degradation in the Mediterranean is a complex task
due to the co-existence of various causes at different levels. In particular, the
interlacing of institutional and technical causes entails to address both aspects at the
same time.
The main problems to be addressed can be summarized as follows:
National and sub-regional policies to combat soil degradation are often based on
an empirical evaluation and qualitative analysis, rather than on information
resulting from data analyses, due to the limited interaction between scientific
institutions and policy makers.
The NAPs of the Mediterranean countries are not based on common and
homogeneous information, due to the scarce linkages amongst the national
institutions of the different countries.
2 The Mediterranean countries are experiencing severe soil erosion problems, which can reach the
ultimate stage and lead to desertification. At present rates of erosion, considerable areas in the
Mediterranean and the Alps, currently not at risk, may reach a state of ultimate physical
degradation, beyond a point of no return within 50-75 years. Somc smaller areas have already
reached this stage (Van Lynden, 1995).
1 The most recent assessment of soil conditions in Europe is an evaluation of the current state of
human-induced soil degradation, derived by ISRIC in 1993 from the world map on the status of
human-induced soil degradation (Maps of soil degradation in Europe, prepared by ISRIC, are
published in EEA, 1998). There is a need for better, and more detailed information.