Nearly three quarters of Greece’s territory, 72.74%, is affected by at least one land degradation factor, compared with an EU average of 56.4%. More than a third of the country, 36%, is affected by desertification, the third highest rate in the EU, according to a report by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC).
Land degradation refers to a sustained decline in an area’s ability to support people and other forms of life, while desertification is defined as the degradation of land in arid and dry areas due to factors including climate variations and human activity.
Desertification has also been linked to a higher risk of poverty and social exclusion, as well as health problems caused by airborne dust.
The North Aegean has Greece’s highest desertification rate at 64%, while affected areas also include parts of Macedonia, Thessaly and the Peloponnese.
Around 47% of Greece’s population lives in areas directly affected by desertification, the second highest share in the EU after Cyprus, at 61%.
The study also links desertification with social and economic inequalities, as higher rates of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion are often found in southern, rural, peripheral or structurally disadvantaged regions. However, this does not mean that desertification directly causes poverty or vice versa.
The North Aegean has the highest desertification rate at 64%, with 28% of the population at risk of poverty. Eastern Macedonia and Thrace follows with 56.6% desertification and a 31.6% risk-of-poverty rate, while Central Macedonia ranks third with 55.9% desertification and a 33% risk-of-poverty rate.
Source: in.gr
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