Soil degradation in the Mediterranean region and cooperative strategies

Soil erosion and salinisation emerged very early in the Mediterranean region along with the introduction of agriculture and irrigation. Nowadays, in all Mediterranean countries, other forms of soil degradation are obvious: they are still poorly documented and their severity and risks have not been assessed. Agriculture is no longer the only cause of soil degradation: urbanism, industry, transportation, handicraft and leisure also contribute. The state of the art inventory suggests that soil degradation is very swift in the Mediterranean region and that in some situations the thresholds of irreversibility have already been reached or even exceeded. The complexity of the phenomena, with their inter-relations and overlapping and their sometimes trans-border impacts, call for research efforts exceeding the framework and means of the separate States. A Mediterranean policy in favour of soils is therefore necessary.