Immediate action vital to save Europe's soil resources
The degradation of Europe's vital soil resources will continue and even accelerate unless immediate action is taken, according to a report by the European Environment Agency and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The report, 'Down to earth: Soil degradation and sustainable development in Europe: A challenge for the 21st century' was published on 19 December at an annual meeting of the United Nations Convention to combat desertification. The report outlines and measures the threats to Europe's soils and puts forward solutions. 'Soil degradation is part of the systematic abuse of the European space, its territory and the natural resources involved,' declared Domingo Jiménez-Beltrán, the European Environment Agency's executive director. 'This may become, in particular in the EU area, a main challenge for sustainability and would require a common approach.' 'The sustainable use of soils is one of Europe's greatest environmental, social and economic challenges,' added Klaus Töpfer, UNEP's executive director. 'Although often overlooked, soil is a natural resource that is no less important to human well-being and the environment than clean water and clean air.' In some parts of Europe, soil degradation is so severe that it has reduced the soil's capacity to support human communities and ecosystems, and has resulted in desertification. An EEA study in 1999 revealed that one third of Europe's soil may be affected, with over 150 million hectares suffering high erosion risk (EEA 1998)