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1 Arusha 11-15/12/2006 Luca Montanarella EUROPEAN COMMISSION JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE Institute for Environment and Sustainability TP 280 I-21020 Ispra (VA), Italy Trends in Land Degradation in Europe

1 Arusha 11-15/12/2006 Luca Montanarella EUROPEAN COMMISSION JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE Institute for Environment and Sustainability TP 280 I-21020 Ispra (VA),

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Page 1: 1 Arusha 11-15/12/2006 Luca Montanarella EUROPEAN COMMISSION JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE Institute for Environment and Sustainability TP 280 I-21020 Ispra (VA),

1Arusha 11-15/12/2006

Luca Montanarella

EUROPEAN COMMISSIONJOINT RESEARCH CENTRE

Institute for Environment and SustainabilityTP 280

I-21020 Ispra (VA), Italy

Trends in Land Degradation in Europe

Page 2: 1 Arusha 11-15/12/2006 Luca Montanarella EUROPEAN COMMISSION JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE Institute for Environment and Sustainability TP 280 I-21020 Ispra (VA),

2Arusha 11-15/12/2006

EU Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection adopted by the European Commission on the

22nd of September 2006

• COMMUNICATION COM(2006) 231 on the Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection

• DIRECTIVE COM(2006) 232 establishing a framework for the protection of soil and amending Directive 2004/35/EC

• IMPACT ASSESSMENT SEC(2006) 620 of the Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection

Page 3: 1 Arusha 11-15/12/2006 Luca Montanarella EUROPEAN COMMISSION JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE Institute for Environment and Sustainability TP 280 I-21020 Ispra (VA),

3Arusha 11-15/12/2006

The impact of human activities on soil

Blocking of soil functions important to the ecology of the landscape

Destruction of soil

Gradual destruction of soils

Reduction in soil fertility

Soil erosion

Manures and fertilisers

Sewage sludge

Gravel extraction

Compaction

Gradual disappearance of farms

Pesticides & herbicides

Destruction of soil

Changes in the structure of soils

Reduction in soil fertility

SealingDistruction of

humus

Accumulation/Contamination

Heavy metals

Contamination of soils and ground water with applied agrochemicals and atmospheric pollutants

Changes in soil composition

Adverse impacts on living organisms in the soil

Acidification

Release of toxic substances

AcidsDiffuse input of contaminants as

particulates

Persistent substances

Salinisation

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4Arusha 11-15/12/2006

Threats to soil as identified in COM(2002) 179

• Erosion

• Decline in organic matter

• Soil contamination

• Soil sealing

• Soil compaction

• Decline in soil biodiversity

• Salinisation

• Floods and landslides

Page 5: 1 Arusha 11-15/12/2006 Luca Montanarella EUROPEAN COMMISSION JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE Institute for Environment and Sustainability TP 280 I-21020 Ispra (VA),

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PESERA Soil Erosion Risk Assessment

Water erosion: 115 Million ha Wind erosion: 42 Million ha

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6Arusha 11-15/12/2006

Main human-induced driving forces

Soil disturbance e.g. ploughing up-and-down slopes

Removal of vegetative soil cover and/or hedgerows

Increased field size (open fields)

Abandonment of terraces

Late sowing of winter cereals

Overstocking

Poor crop management

Inappropriate use of heavy machinery, in agricultural and forestry practices, but also during construction works.

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7Arusha 11-15/12/2006

Consequences of erosionOn-site effects

Loss of soil

Loss of soil fertility due to disrupted nutrient cycles

Restrictions on land use hindering future redevelopment and reducing the area of productive and valuable soil available for other activities (agricultural and forestry production, recreation etc.)

Land value depreciation

Off-site effects

Damage to infrastructures due to excessive sediment load

Diffuse pollution of surface water

Negative effects on aquatic ecosystems and thereby biodiversity

Reduced water retention capacity, hence higher flood risk

Human health problems due to dust and particles in the air

Page 8: 1 Arusha 11-15/12/2006 Luca Montanarella EUROPEAN COMMISSION JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE Institute for Environment and Sustainability TP 280 I-21020 Ispra (VA),

8Arusha 11-15/12/2006

Cost of soil erosion

Table 1: Estimated total annual cost of soil erosion (million € 2003)

On-site

costs Off-site

costs Total estimate

Lower bound 40 680 720

Intermediate 588 6,676 7,264

Upper bound 860 13,139 13,999

Note: These estimates are taken from the Ecologic study and relate to the surface affected by erosion in 13 countries and to five land use categories covering a surface area of 150 million ha

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9Arusha 11-15/12/2006

Organic Carbon (%) No Data 0 - 1 1 - 2 2 - 5 5 - 10 10 - 25 25 - 35 > 35

Organic carbon content (%) in the surface horizon (0-30 cm) of soils

Organic Carbon Gt 0.0 2.5 5.0 7.5 10.0 12.5 15.0

0.5 3.5

5.0

1.6 7.1

0.3

0.8 5.8

0.7

2.0

0.6

5.6

5.7

13.8 12.5

1.5

1.8

1.1

1.1 0.6

1.2 1.0 0.2

0.5 0.5 1.0

2.3

1.0

0.2 0.6

0.2

0.2

National Soil Organic Carbon stocks (0-30cm) in Gt

Model output Aggregated results

Topsoil Organic Carbon Content (30cm)

Organic matter decline

Page 10: 1 Arusha 11-15/12/2006 Luca Montanarella EUROPEAN COMMISSION JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE Institute for Environment and Sustainability TP 280 I-21020 Ispra (VA),

10Arusha 11-15/12/2006

Estimated changes in carbon stocksacross England & Wales (and UK)

Bellamy et al., Nature 437, 245-248 (2005)

Original Corg (g kg-1)

% o

f ar

ea o

f E

&W

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

0-20

> 3

00

100-

200

30-5

0

20-3

0

50-1

00

200-

300

Rat

e o

f ch

ang

e, M

t yr

-1

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

0-20

> 3

00

100-

200

30-5

0

20-3

0

50-1

00

200-

300

Net rate of change in England & Wales = - 4.4 Mt yr-1

Net rate of change in UK ≈ - 4.4 x UK / E&W topsoil OC stock≈ -13 Mt yr-1

% o

f to

tal O

C s

toc

k0

5

10

15

20

25

30

0-2

0

> 3

00

10

0-2

00

30

-50

20

-30

50

-10

0

20

0-3

00

OC stock = Corg x BD x depth x area

where BD = 1.3 – {0.275 ln(Corg/10)}

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Main human-induced driving forces

Conversion of grassland to arable land

Drainage of wetlands

Poor crop rotation and plant residue management such as burning crops residues

Accelerated mineralization due to management practices such as continued tillage

Deforestation

Soil organic carbon decline

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12Arusha 11-15/12/2006

Consequences of SOM declineRelease of greenhouse gases

Negative effects on biodiversity, including soil biodiversity

Reduced water infiltration due to changes in soil structure, hence higher flood risk

Reduced absorption of pollutants and increased water and air pollution

Increased erosion with the effects stated above such as:

Loss of fertile soil

Loss of soil fertility (i.a. due to disrupted nutrient cycles)

Damage to infrastructures due to excessive sediment load

Diffuse pollution of surface water

Negative effects on aquatic ecosystems and thereby biodiversity

Restrictions on land use and hindering future redevelopment and reducing the area of productive and valuable soil available for other activities (agricultural and forestry production, recreation etc.)

Land value depreciation

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Loss of Biodiversity in SoilConsequences of biodiversity decline

Reduced food web functioning and consequently crop yield losses

Reduced soil formation

Reduced nutrient cycling and nitrogen fixation

Reduced carbon sequestration

Reduced resilience of the soil to endure pressures

Reduced recycling of organic waste/litter

Increased plant pests and diseases

Reduced water infiltration rate and water holding capacity

Reduced bioremediation capacity

Hampered soil structure (by affecting the stabilisation of organo-mineral complexes)

Reduced genetic resources present in the soil, including moral and ethical consequences

Negative impacts on terrestrial biodiversity outside of soil

Fungy (35000)

Nematodes(5000)

Protozoa(1500)

Algae (2500)

Bacteria (3200)

Acari (25000)

Others (6200)

Collembolla (6500)

Number of known

species in soil

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14Arusha 11-15/12/2006

Soil Salinisation in EuropeSalinisation affects around 3.8 million ha in Europe

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Main human-induced driving forces for salinisation

Poor irrigation technology

Inappropriate drainage

Use of saline waters for irrigation and the overexploitation of groundwater

Consequences of salinisation

On-site effects

Loss of soil fertility due to toxic effects of high salt content

Loss of biodiversity

Land value depreciation

Off-site effects

Reduced water infiltration and retention resulting in increased water run-off

Damage to transport infrastructure from shallow saline groundwater

Damage to water supply infrastructure

Page 16: 1 Arusha 11-15/12/2006 Luca Montanarella EUROPEAN COMMISSION JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE Institute for Environment and Sustainability TP 280 I-21020 Ispra (VA),

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Yearly cost of salinisation in selected countries (million €) (LB: lower bound; UB: upper bound)

Spain Hungary Bulgaria

LB UB LB UB LB UB

On-site costs

Agricultural yield losses

42.71 137.64 70.16 133.91 1.08 5.38

Infrastructure damage

12.08 18.23 1.32

Off-site costs Environmental

damage 4.83 7.29 0.53

Total 59.62 154.55 95.68 159.43 2.93 7.23

Cost of Soil Salinisation in Europe

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Soil contamination

Main human induced driving forces

Industrial installations

Mining installations

Illegal waste dumps and landfill sites not properly managed

Storage of chemicals

Accidental and provoked spills of chemicals

Atmospheric depositions of dangerous substances

Military sites

Intentional introduction of dangerous substances in the soil

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Consequences of soil contamination

Risk to human health for people living on and in the surroundings of a contaminated site (through different exposure paths, e.g. consumption of food grown in from contaminated areas)

Contamination of surface water, mainly through run off of contaminated sediments

Contamination of groundwater and hence drinking water if extracted from groundwater

Risk to human health through drinking water extracted underneath of a contaminated site

Risk of ecotoxicity for the flora and fauna living in the soil on the site and around a contaminated site causing loss of biodiversity and biological activity

Loss of soil fertility due to disrupted nutrient cycles

Restrictions on land use and hindering future redevelopment and reducing the area of productive and valuable soil available for other activities (agricultural and forestry production, recreation etc.)

Land value depreciation

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The Cost of Soil Contamination

Estimated total annual cost caused by soil contamination for EU25 (€ M, 2003)

On-site costs

Off-site costs Total

Lower bound estimate 96 2,283 2,379

Intermediate estimate 192 17,126 17,318

Upper bound estimate 289 207,615 207,904

Page 20: 1 Arusha 11-15/12/2006 Luca Montanarella EUROPEAN COMMISSION JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE Institute for Environment and Sustainability TP 280 I-21020 Ispra (VA),

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Soil Compaction in Europe

36% of European Soils are having high or very high susceptibility to compaction

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Soils in Europe can support different loads depending on their soil strength

Precompression stress at a given pore water pressure pF 1.8 for topsoils of Europe in relation to a given low topsoil load (tyre inflation pressure: 60 kPa), high topsoil stress: 200 kPa)

Classification of the effective soil strength by the relationship of precompression stress to soil pressure: >1.5 very stable, elastic deformation, 1.5-1.2 stable, 1.2-0.8 labile, >0.8 unstable, additional plastic deformation.

Source: R. Horn, personal communication

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The Impact of Soil Compaction in Europe

Damage due to increasing soil deformation

After rain storm

Rapid water table increase in rivers and lakes

Reduced groundwater recharge

erosion

N2O gas

emission

N - loss due to stagnic water

Effects on the environment

Surface water runoff increase

Heavy machinery compacts arable, forest, and pasture soils

Consequences for plant production

Reduced growth, higher uncertainty

less yield

Increased fungi deseases,

more weeds

Reduced root growth (less dense and deep)

Soil biota suffersSoil quality declines due to - reduced pore volume,- reduced aeration

-Water infiltration reduced,

- soils remain longer wet and cold, - more slaking problems, - reduced water storage

Effects on soil management

- higher draft energy required, - higher fuel consumption,- wet and cold soils result in smaller number of working days,- more fertilizers needed

Dust emission increased

Source: R. Horn, personal communication

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23Arusha 11-15/12/2006

Soil Sealing by Infrastructure and Housing

Page 24: 1 Arusha 11-15/12/2006 Luca Montanarella EUROPEAN COMMISSION JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE Institute for Environment and Sustainability TP 280 I-21020 Ispra (VA),

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Main human driving forces for sealing

Urban sprawl

Increased transport

Movement of population

Consequences of sealingDisruption of gas, water and energy fluxes

Increased flood risks

Reduced groundwater recharge

Increases water pollution (due to runoff water from housing and traffic areas being normally unfiltered and potentially contaminated with harmful chemicals)

Loss in soil and terrestrial biodiversity (due to fragmentation of habitats)

The Impact of Soil Sealing

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Landslides

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Main human-induced driving forces for landslides

Rupture of topography such as due to construction works

Land use changes such as deforestation and land abandonment

Extractions of materials

Consequences of landslides

Loss of human lives and well-being

Damage to property and infrastructure

Indirect negative effects on economic activities due to interruption of

f.i. transport routes

Loss of fertile soil

Contamination of soil due to damage to infrastructure such as pipelines

and storage facilities

Potential contamination of surface waters with associated off-site costs

as described already under erosion

Page 27: 1 Arusha 11-15/12/2006 Luca Montanarella EUROPEAN COMMISSION JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE Institute for Environment and Sustainability TP 280 I-21020 Ispra (VA),

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Incidences and costs of landslides in Europe

No. of events

Casualties (total) (av/event)

Affected people (total) (av/event)

Cost € (total) (av/event)

Austria 2 43 22 - - - -

Italy 8 1,387 173 10,100 1,263 1,200,000,000 600,000,000*

Sweden 1 13 13 50 50 11,000,000 11,000,000

UK 1 140 140 - - - -

Sum 12 1,583 132 10,150 846 1,211,000,000 403,666,667**

Source: EM-DAT: The OFDA/CRED International Disaster Database www.em-dat.net – Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium. * Average based on two out of eight cases, for which there is quantified economic data. ** The average figure (average per event) is based on the three cases of landslides where quantitative data on economic impacts was available (Valtelina/Italy, July 1987, €500 M damage; Ancona/Italy, December 1982, €700 M damage; Gothenburg/Sweden, December 1977, €11 M damage).

The Cost of Landslides in Europe

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Conclusions• Extensive soil and land degradation processes are occurring

in Europe.• Observed degradation processes are mostly human induced. • Extreme climatic events may further exacerbate the impact

of the land degradation on local population.• The total costs of soil degradation that could be assessed

for erosion, organic matter decline, salinisation, landslides and contamination on the basis of available data, would be up to €38 billion annually for EU25.

• The recently adopted Soil Thematic Strategy by the European Commission provides the legal framework for EU Member States to implement adequate responses in order to revert the negative trend of land and soil degradation in Europe.

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Preliminary announcement

Wengen-2007International and Interdisciplinary Workshop

Desertification and Climate Change

Hotel Regina, Wengen, Switzerland, September 10-14, 2007

Co-organized by:

Michel Verstraete, Andreas Brink and Luca MontanarellaEuropean Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Ispra, Italy

Bob ScholesCouncil of Scientific and Industrial Research, South Africa

&

Martin Beniston Universities of Geneva and Fribourg, Switzerland

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30Arusha 11-15/12/2006

Thank you for your interest!

“Unity in diversity”