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DESERTLINKS 2004 English-EN | Español-ES | Italiano-I | Ελληνικά-GR | Portuguese-PT |
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Σύστημα Δεικτών Ερημοποίησης για την Μεσογειακή Ευρώπη |
Background information about the role of the UNCCD After the UNCED Conference in Rio
de Janeiro in 1992 the profile of desertification was raised at both political
and scientific levels. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
(UNCCD) was introduced, and approved in Paris on the 17th June 1994 by
103 countries.
The first action of the UNCCD was
the resolution of the Convention principles and the definition of four
regional annexes: Africa; Asia; Latin America and the Caribbean; and the
Northern Mediterranean, including Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece. For each signatory country the main
objectives of the Convention to Combat Desertification are:
The Convention stresses the role to
be played by national governments and non-governmental organisations in
combating desertification, through the implementation of National Action
Programmes, through scientific and technical co-operation, and by consistent
support measures and promotion of public awareness of the desertification
problem. Background information
about the response of the Annex IV sub-region: the northern Mediterranean
Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece
have responded to the objectives of the Convention by addressing the specific
problems in their countries and by contributing to research and practical
initiatives on a European scale. Each country has developed data bases
and indicators according to individual mapping and monitoring strategies,
but many of the indicators are common to all countries. Portugal ratified the Convention on
1st April 1996. Coordinated by the Direcção Geral de Florestas,
a large data base was set up in preparation for developing the National
Action Programme in co-operation with the scientific community, local
authorities and government regional departments. This was submitted to
the UNCCD in 2000. Drought had seriously affected Portugal, particularly
in the SE, between 1991 and 1994 so the idea of desertification was very
relevant. However, some Portuguese people still consider desertification
to be synonymous with depopulation of marginal rural areas due to migration
and land abandonment. More recently the link between forest fires and
desertification has become an important issue. Spain has a long history of actions
to mitigate desertification, as more than two thirds of the country is
arid, semi-arid or dry-sub-humid. There have been a series of Watershed
Restoration and Management Projects, and the LUCDEME Project to combat
desertification in the Mediterranean. There has been particular emphasis
on sustainable agriculture and exploitation of water resources, prediction
of drought, and protection against forest and wild fires. Programmes for
mapping, monitoring and mitigating desertification are well-developed. In Italy the most affected areas are
in the south, including Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria and Sicily. Again,
protection from fire is a prominent issue, alongside soil conservation
and management of water resources. Land abandonment, over-exploitation
of water resources for irrigation and over-grazing are being addressed.
The National Action Programme was submitted to the UNCCD in 2000. In Greece deforestation, grazing and forest fires have been considered to be the biggest problems. Since ancient times extensive deforestation and intensive cultivation of slopes have led to soil erosion and degradation, and there have been many reforestation schemes. However forest fires are also a major threat to soil conservation, especially where pines and eucalyptus have been planted. The National Action Programme was submitted to the UNCCD in 2001. |