My China Star

Quickly however, as farmland can be lost, describes Hartmut Grassl: In April 1997 forced wind erosion of the still mostly naked arable land in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, daytime light slower to move Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg motorists. Hardly a realized this, that from many fields of years if not were blown away decades of soil formation during a single storm”. At this rapid pace natural ground formation can no longer compensate for the losses: it can take up to 500 years, until only five centimeters soil are created. But, not only the high degree of erosion are cause for concern. Salinisation, emissions from industry and transport, exposure to pesticides and soil compaction through the use of heavy agricultural and forestry machinery deteriorates in addition the quality of the Soil. Clearly linked with the global increase in population and the thereby increasing demand for fuel as well as usable farmland, settlement, traffic and industrial areas, the need for the Convention of floor. It is a further development of the 1996 enacted in desert Convention and to draw global views of the scope of the problem. Goals are a thoughtful handling of soils through sustainable use, as well as a balance between soil formation and erosion.

We want to ignite a global discussion on this topic, as quickly as possible actions should follow”, explains Dr. Martin Held, from the Protestant Academy of Tutzing and co-initiator of the Alliance. But even if it were possible to keep the current rate of erosion could be already disappeared forever in the year 2025 between 20 and 25 percent of the still existing global soil reservoir. U. Karlowski