World map of the status of human-induced soil degradation: An explanatory note. Global Assessment of Soil Degradation (GLASOD)

Past and present human intervention in the utilization and manipulation of environmental resources are having unanticipated consequences. The often-indiscriminate destruction of forests and woodlands, and the spectre of land degradation resulting in decreased productivity with dire social consequences is generally recognized. The earth's soils are being washed away, rendered sterile or contaminated with toxic chemicals at a rate that cannot be sustained."There is a growing realization in national and multilateral institutions that not only many forms of economic development erode the environmental resources upon which they are based, but at the same time environmental degradation can undermine economic development" (Brundtland et al., 1987). UNEP requested a world soil degradation map at a scale of 1: 10 M. The immediate objective of the map was to create awareness of the present status of soil degradation for policy-makers, decision-makers, and the general public at large.

Keywordsmapping soil degradation, human - induced soil degradation, globall assessment of soil degradation, historical collection