Towards a unifying approach of land degradation in Europe

Abstract

The impact of land degradation on the environment is multidimensional and is fundamentally influenced by various land degradation processes, which usually interact spatially in a convergent manner. However, the spatial pattern of multiple converging (co-occurring) land degradation pathways remains largely unexplored in Europe. To address the synergistic (convergent) nature of land degradation, in this work we modelled and mapped the spatial pattern of twelve interacting processes in agricultural/arable environments of Europe. Therefore, using state-of-the-art and large-scale datasets that were modelled via appropriate GIS (Geographic Information System) techniques, we performed an unprecedented investigation on land multi-degradation in 40 European countries. Essentially, we found that up to 27%, 35% and 22% of pan-European agricultural/arable landscapes are synergistically affected by one, two and three land degradation processes, while 10–11% of continental agricultural/arable environments are cumulatively threatened by four and at least five co-occurring processes. Our multi-process framework can be a valuable scientific tool for complex modelling of land degradation, but also for applying various agricultural, climate or sustainable development policies at European level.