Problem of desertification in the Mediterranean basin
Doc. 7503
18 March 1996REPORT[1]
Rapporteur: Lord MACKIE OF BENSHIE, United Kingdom, Liberal, Democratic and Reformers' Group
Summary
Population growth and the expansion of industrial, agricultural and tourist activities, combined with increased use of natural resources, have weighed heavily � and are continuing to do so � on the state of health of the Mediterranean, bringing inevitable consequences for the fragile balance between humankind and the environment.
The phenomenon of desertification, which is affecting the Mediterranean region and damaging farmland there irreversibly, is a complex and changing process involving a chain of natural and socio-economic causes and effects. Human beings must bear much of the blame for compounding the problem, as unsuitable methods of using resources are jeopardising the agricultural potential and food security of Mediterranean countries.
The spread of desertification is not easy to control, but awareness of the real nature of the problem and its social consequences will help the general public to understand the importance of effective efforts to combat desertification. Rational resource management policies based on greater use of biodiversity, biotechnology and renewable forms of energy could stem the current degradation of natural resources. Developing the available human resources by providing training and information and involving local populations, in particular women, in implementing the proposed policies should help to improve the food security, social stability and economic prosperity of the countries concerned, thus facilitating harmonious agricultural and rural development. Closer regional co-operation between Mediterranean countries could strengthen their ability to cope with the threat of desertification.
I. Draft resolution
1. The Assembly is concerned at the scale of the deterioration of the environment in the countries of the Mediterranean basin and, in particular, the adverse effects of the process of desertification in the region.
2. It is alarmed at the reduction in biodiversity and the depletion of the biomass owing to this process and at the deterioration and disappearance of farmland, which may lead to economic instability and undermine the sustainable development of the Mediterranean region.
3. It notes that a correlation exists between desertification and major social problems such as poverty and inadequate food security, and problems caused by migration and population growth. Any political unrest which might arise would only increase the major disparities that still exist between the different countries which make up the Mediterranean region.
4. The Assembly regards the Mediterranean basin as a region of crucial importance for Europe and wishes to contribute to the political stability of the area so that all countries there can enjoy sustainable development without any damage being caused to the Mediterranean environment.
5. The Assembly therefore gives its full support to the co-operation plan drawn up by the Euro-Mediterranean Conference (Barcelona, 27-28 November 1995).
6. It welcomes the initiative taken by the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development of organising, in co-operation with the Mediterranean Committee of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP), the Second Mediterranean Agricultural Forum in Jerusalem (Israel) on 12 and 13 December 1994 to discuss strategies to be implemented to combat desertification and ensure food security and sustainable economic development throughout the region.
7. It also draws attention to its Resolution 792 (1983) on Mediterranean agriculture � problems and prospects, Resolution 961 (1991) on food aid and food security policies and Resolution 1051 (1994) on food and agricultural development in the Mediterranean basin, and calls on the governments of member states, in particular those of Mediterranean countries, to take appropriate measures to combat desertification for the sake of present and future generations:
i. by supporting the peace process in the Middle East and the Mediterranean as peaceful co-existence is an essential basis for solving the problems of the region;
ii. by fostering co-operation between the northern and southern shores of the Mediterranean and between the various countries of North Africa and the Middle East so that the region may enjoy sustainable democratic, social and economic development which is compatible with respect for the environment;
iii. by taking urgent measures to reduce pressure on natural non-renewable resources such as soil and water (including the sea) through rational and integrated management designed to protect the soil and the sea more effectively, maintain vegetation cover and make optimum and sparing use of water resources, taking account of possible negative effects on the ecosystem;
iv. by fostering the use of biotechnology and the utilisation of natural species (biodiversity) and renewable energy forms in order to optimise agricultural production systems and make them sustainable;
v. by supporting population policies aimed at controlling population growth and restoring the balance between population levels and the carrying capacities of the natural environment;
vi. by attaching particular importance to the development of human resources and facilitating access for all, particularly women, to education and information, increasing public awareness of the gravity of the problem of desertification and actively involving farmers in the formulation and implementation of policies designed to combat it so as to encourage sustainable use of natural resources;
vii. by expanding research resources and improving the systems for gathering data needed for analysing the state of desertification in order to determine priority areas of action, it being important, in this connection, to support the activities of the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (ICAMAS), which should ultimately be joined by all Mediterranean basin countries;
viii. by offering the Mediterranean Committee of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP) active participation in defining and implementing priority projects designed to combat desertification.
II. Explanatory memorandum
by Lord MACKIE OF BENSHIE
Contents
2. The phenomenon of desertification
3. Desertification in the Mediterranean basin: current situation and trends
i. Population growth in the Mediterranean and its impact on the environment
ii. The state of the soil
iii. The water crisis in the Mediterranean basin
iv. The social impact of desertification
4. Strategies to combat desertification
i. Limiting soil and water degradation
ii. Promoting renewable forms of energy
iii. Using biotechnology
iv. Developing human resources
v. Regional co-operation
Adequate levels of food production and sufficient access for all to food supplies are the keys to food security. The fact is, however, that the food needs of a constantly expanding population are increasing more quickly than agricultural output.
The imbalance between the growth of the population in the countries of the Mediterranean, in particular those on its southern and eastern shores, and the ability of the region's ecosystems to meet the population's needs has resulted in over-exploitation of natural resources and general deterioration of the environment, leading to deforestation, soil erosion, water pollution and desertification, a problem known in the region for many years.
Desertification is jeopardising the agricultural potential of many Mediterranean countries and reducing their ability to feed their populations.
Given its ecological, social and economic implications, desertification is a real threat which could become a potential source of conflict in the Mediterranean region in the medium and long term.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe believes that Europe's political stability also depends on that of the Mediterranean basin, including the Middle East. A just and lasting peace in the region is of crucial importance and offers the only opportunity for sustainable economic development.
It is against this background that the Council of Europe's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development has taken the initiative, in conjunction with the Mediterranean Committee of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP), of organising a series of meetings between professionals and politicians with a view to developing strategies to increase food security, the economic basis of rural areas, while taking account of environmental considerations. In this context, the Second Mediterranean Agricultural Forum, whose main theme was the problem of desertification, was held in Jerusalem on 12 and 13 December 1994 at the invitation of the Israeli Parliament (the Knesset). Israel being Europe's leading partner in the Middle East because of its commitment to democratic values. The Council of Europe has thus demonstrated its willingness to foster dialogue between Europe and Middle Eastern countries and to encourage the peace process, without which there would be neither security nor stability in the Mediterranean.
2. The phenomenon of desertification
At present, desertification directly affects 70% of the Earth's arid zones that could be used as farmland, or almost one quarter of the Earth's landmass (natural deserts being excluded from these figures). The land concerned is the home to, and source of income for, approximately one fifth of the world population.
Unlike drought, a climatic phenomenon which essentially results in a serious water shortage that temporarily limits agricultural output, desertification is a complex phenomenon which results in irreversible damage to the soil and vegetation and is mainly caused by human activities. As Andrew Goudie put it: "it is not the desert that is advancing, it is the land that is retreating" (The Human Impact, 1981).
The direct physical causes of the deterioration of land are linked to physical (water and wind) erosion and the chemical degradation of the soil.
Any global warming caused by the greenhouse effect can only accelerate the irreversible retreat of vegetation cover and productive land and adversely affect the life and economy of many countries.
The indirect socio-economic causes of desertification are largely the result of human factors: population growth plays a major part in the overcropping of land (this being all the truer the drier the area is), over-grazing by livestock and large-scale deforestation.
In addition, various forms of mismanagement (excessive irrigation, lack of proper drainage, use of water with high salt content) play a part in making arable land partially or totally infertile.
The physical consequences of land deterioration are the increased frequency of sandstorms, the extension of dunes which threaten infrastructures, the loss of productive farmland, general impoverishment of the countries concerned and their biodiversity and a reduction in their ability to recover from and overcome this disastrous situation.
In social and economic terms, desertification reduces the world's ability to feed its inhabitants, the hardest hit economic sector being agriculture, which is the main source of employment and income for very many countries. Economic and political instability develop in the regions affected, as desertification exacerbates the competition for land and water resources and causes people to emigrate to seek refuge and better living conditions.
Desertification is progressing at a rate of 6 million hectares of land a year, and its ecological, social and economic implications mean that it poses a real threat to present and future generations. In the medium and long term, it could destabilise the world as a whole and heighten tensions in the regions most likely to be affected. One such region, where desertification and the deterioration of the natural environment are now major problems, is the Mediterranean basin.
3. Desertification in the Mediterranean basin: current situation and trends
Given the fragility of its ecosystems and the density of its population, the Mediterranean region has suffered problems of desertification and deterioration of the natural environment for at least 2 000 years. The recent aggravation of these problems is linked to the ever-increasing human pressure on natural resources, themselves affected by the climate, which is particularly unfavourable in the Mediterranean basin.
Physical resources, be they land or water, are limited, particularly in the countries on the southern shores of the Mediterranean, and this lack of resources will become more and more pronounced as the population grows and the demand for food increases.
The region's human resources are expanding constantly, especially in the southern and eastern Mediterranean, causing major problems linked to the need to create adequate levels of productive employment and to the difficulty which most of these countries have in providing adequate food supplies for their populations.
This intense population pressure is a potential source of tension in the Mediterranean basin, and its implications for the environment will, in the long term, undermine the sustainable and lasting development of the region, which is needed to maintain the food balance.
The relationship between the environment, sustainable development and the food balance as shown in the single example of desertification calls for thorough analysis of the situation in the Mediterranean, a region whose importance in terms of global geopolitical equilibrium is well-known.
i.Population growth in the mediterranean and its impact on the environment
According to figures in the Blue Plan (1988), the total population in the Mediterranean region will have doubled over the fifty years from 1950 to the year 2000, rising from 212 million to 433 million. It is set to reach 550 million in 2025.
However, most of the population growth will have taken place in southern Mediterranean countries. The proportion of the total accounted for by the population of the countries of the northern Mediterranean, which stood at 66% in 1950, is expected to fall to 36% by 2025. Southern Mediterranean countries will thus account for 60% of the region's total population in 2025, with their population having doubled between 1985 and 2025.
Between 1950 and 1985, the population growth rate was under 1% in the northern countries and over 2,3% for the countries of the southern and eastern Mediterranean. In Algeria, for example, the population growth rate was over 3,2% in the 1960s, with fertility rates of seven to eight children per woman, equivalent to a doubling of the population every eighteen years. It is expected that the number of children of school age, women of child-bearing age and young people seeking employment in these countries will have trebled between 1975 and 2025.
Annual population growth is still 2,7% in Algeria, 2,4% in Morocco and 2% in Tunisia. With a range of 1,6 to 2,6 children per woman, the population of North Africa in 2025 is expected to reach a figure of between 103 million and 122 million, the difference of 19 million being equivalent to the total population of Morocco in 1980.
These figures are all the more worrying since they entail annual urban growth of 4% and growth of 8% in shanty towns. In 1989, the urban population already represented an average of 58% of the total population in the Mediterranean region, as against 40% in 1965.
However, patterns of urban growth differ: in the south and east of the region, the process has resulted from a mass, uncontrolled rural exodus, which has not been accompanied by adequate economic and social development. Urban growth has preceded development and turned cities into veritable social time bombs.
The urban population has concentrated in coastal areas: in 1985, the population of Mediterranean coastal regions was put at 133 million, meaning that 37,5% of the population lived on 15% of the total land area. According to the Blue Plan, the figure is expected to reach between 195 and 217 million by 2025. The average population density for the coastal regions would thus rise from 104 inhabitants per square kilometre to 150 to 165, and the figure could reach 1000 in Syria, Lebanon, Algeria, Israel and Egypt.
This population drift to coastal regions is intensifying the pressure on natural resources: it is to be feared that the coastal regions, which are the most productive (because they are the most fertile) and, in theory, the least concerned by desertification, will suffer serious environmental degradation in the decades ahead.
ii.The state of the soil
Overall, around 80% of farmland and pastures in the southern Mediterranean and 30% in the northern Mediterranean are affected to some extent by desertification.
The Mediterranean climate (irregular precipitation, strong winds, large temperature variations) makes Mediterranean soils particularly fragile and more vulnerable to wind and water erosion. However, it is the activities of human beings which are becoming the key factor in soil degradation and the spread of desertification: the latter is not advancing along a front as in the Sahel, but on a patchy basis, starting with over-populated rural areas, urban centres or the most vulnerable environments. Deforestation, over-grazing and poor husbandry methods are the causes.
The amount of woodland required for cropping is bound to increase in countries with high population growth rates. At the same time, wood is used for cooking and heating purposes alike, as it has the great drawback of being freely available in the countryside.
Over-grazing is also inevitable, as livestock herds grow in line with the population. With the best land being used for cropping, the livestock density increases, reaching levels which prevent the proper regeneration of common grazing land.
Poor soil husbandry results in salinisation of farmland and a reduction in its fertility. This is all the more worrying in southern Mediterranean countries, given that land there is on average eight times less productive than land in the north. Although two-thirds of the cultivated land is in southern Mediterranean countries, it accounts for only 20% of total agricultural output in the region, the remaining 80% coming from the north.
The low productivity of the farmland in southern Mediterranean countries is accompanied by difficulties in terms of increasing the area under cultivation. The area of cultivated land per inhabitant is falling constantly: whereas it stood at around half a hectare per inhabitant for the whole of the Mediterranean in 1980, it is expected to fall to a quarter hectare by the year 2000.
The limited land resources of southern Mediterranean countries make it more difficult for them to feed their populations, which are mainly rural and for whom agriculture remains the principal means of subsistence.
iii.The water crisis in the Mediterranean basin
Water is of crucial importance in the Mediterranean region, particularly for agriculture, where it is the main factor limiting the expansion and intensification of cropping, especially in the south and east of the region. Despite the rapid growth in demand from other sectors, agriculture is still by far the largest user of water resources. In most Mediterranean countries, it accounts for over 75% of the demand.
Given the high demand for water and the low levels of precipitation in the arid areas of the Mediterranean basin, only irrigation enables supply requirements to be regulated and crop yields to be kept stable. In some dry countries such as Egypt, the area of cultivated land is practically identical to the area under irrigation.
However, the amount of land under irrigation is not the same throughout the Mediterranean. In the countries on the northern shores, irrigation is often used to back up more or less adequate rainfall. On the other hand, in the countries on the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean, irrigation is often used across the board because of the near-permanent rainfall shortage. Moreover, in these dry countries, mobilising and transporting water resources is often extremely expensive.
The contrast between the north and south of the Mediterranean basin can also be seen in the levels of water supply available. The amount of water available per head of population is on average under 1 000 cubic metres a year in southern Mediterranean countries and over 4 500 cubic metres a year in northern Mediterranean countries (with a few exceptions). Experts regard countries with per capita water supply levels of under 1 000 cubic metres a year as drought zones, that is to say the shortage of water there poses serious problems for food production, economic development and the protection of natural systems.
The rates of use of water resources are very high in most southern Mediterranean countries (95% in Egypt, 83% in Cyprus, 68% in Tunisia) and even extremely high in Israel (106%) and Libya (157%). The possibilities for extending irrigation in these countries are becoming more and more limited given the shortage of water resources. Libya is already extracting large quantities of non-renewable fossil reserves, suggesting low or even zero future availability. In Egypt, it will be difficult to increase available water supplies between now and the end of the century. In Tunisia, all available water resources will have been mobilised by the year 2010.
Quantitative and qualitative comparison of water supplies in rural and urban areas shows a clear imbalance in favour of the latter: water reserves are being diverted to urban areas, causing large conurbations to become factors in desertification. With the exception of Jordan and Lebanon, between 45% and 50% of rural populations in the eastern and southern Mediterranean lack clean water.
As a result of the tourist industry concentrated around the shores of the Mediterranean, water consumption is reaching alarming levels. The ecosystem of the region, which is the world's leading tourist destination, is bound to suffer from the production of waste and pollution.
iv.The social impact of desertification
The risk of the exhaustion of natural resources and of further desertification in the Mediterranean raises the problem of self-sufficiency in food supplies in the region. The growth in agricultural output has not been able to keep pace with the growth in demand from a rapidly expanding population, leading to a chronic food deficit: the degree of self‑sufficiency in cereals in the region's low-income countries has been no more than 25% in recent years, whereas it stood at 90% in the 1960s.
At present, two-thirds of the Mediterranean population depend on outside supplies to meet their basic food requirements. In the Maghreb, for instance, the rate of self-sufficiency in cereals, which was 67% in 1975, fell to 51% in 1990 and is expected to be 48% in the year 2000. While these same countries were 50% self-sufficient in vegetable oils in 1975, it is expected they will be able to meet only 27% of their own requirements in the year 2000.
The need to import supplies increases food dependency and widens the gap between northern and southern Mediterranean countries. While the countries in the north seem to be able to cope with the problems facing them and make progress despite the obstacles, those in the south are experiencing the greatest difficulty in solving the existential problems facing them in terms of food security.
The agricultural development model adopted in the north cannot be applied in the south, as countries in the north are aiming to produce more and more with the smallest possible workforce, while those in the south are faced with a population explosion. The proportion of the working population employed in agriculture is still very high in the countries of the southern Mediterranean: 20% in North Africa (except Libya), 36% in Morocco and 41% in Egypt. In Europe, however, it is often below 10%.
The mass exodus of the labour force from rural areas in these countries raises a number of serious problems.
Firstly, there is a danger of it speeding up the spread of desertification, as the links between the latter and the mobility of the population are clear. The abandonment of the land is accompanied by ageing of the rural population and an increase in the proportion of women it includes. The exodus also changes some production systems: regular farming activities are given up, the land produces lower and lower yields and the soil becomes increasingly prone to damage. The resulting poverty and insecurity reach such dangerously high levels that any environmental concerns become meaningless.
Secondly, there will be an increase in migration from the south to the "attractive" countries of the north. In the south, the effects of this process will be seen in terms of soil degradation, and poverty and deprivation of the population, while the countries of the north will have to struggle to cope with high levels of immigration.
Thirdly, peace and security in the Mediterranean basin will be threatened, as the rural populations forced to move from the land to the cities, who face great difficulties as they strive to find new identities, respond willingly to all types of political arguments (in particular of a fundamentalist nature), regardless of the consequences for the future.
Combating desertification is thus a social imperative, as the degradation of natural resources is both a cause and an effect of poverty and instability.
4. Strategies to combat desertification
i. Limiting soil and water degradation
Desertification is closely linked to poor farming practices, and efforts to combat it will depend essentially on better water and land management techniques.
It is essential to preserve the fertility of Mediterranean soils (which are particularly fragile) to prevent any deterioration in their condition and, if possible, to reclaim land that has already been affected for agricultural use. The main emphasis should be placed on biological conservation methods:
establishing vegetation barriers, either to retain the soil particles and gradually form natural terraces or to protect the surface of the soil against the impact of rain and erosion;
preventing fires so as to protect vegetation cover, which is an important factor in conserving moisture levels and water resources;
encouraging reforestation, as tree cover conserves soil moisture levels and protects biodiversity;
avoiding over-grazing, which causes vegetation to disappear and prevents the growth of young plants. Herd sizes should not exceed the capacity of the available pastures;
adapting farming methods to soil conditions and, above all, to the possibilities of reclaiming dry land.
Efforts to improve soil properties also call for the use of new technologies, which have proved effective in Israel. For instance, if polymers or gypsum are spread on the fields, this prevents rainwater seeping away or evaporating and also increases soil absorption capacities.
The pressure of the demand for water and the scarcity of the resource mean that the countries in the Mediterranean region will have to implement strategies aimed at the rational management and more effective use of existing water supplies.
The emphasis should be placed on low-consumption techniques such as feeding water directly to plant roots. In order to increase the quantity of water available, efforts must focus on the recovery, treatment and recycling of waste (sewage, drainage water) and on the use of unconventional resources, for instance, through desalination.
Given that irrigation accounts for 72% of all water consumption in the Mediterranean basin, effective management of irrigation systems will clearly be a major factor in conserving water resources in the future. The measures taken will have to minimise wastefulness in certain sectors, in particular agriculture, where performance levels are much lower than the targets set when irrigation projects are being designed and put in place.
In general, the efficiency of irrigation should be improved by:
modernising supply pipes and irrigation networks;
improving water-management techniques at the point of use, for example through drip irrigation;
introducing new irrigation control techniques (irrigation triggered by automatic measurement of soil moisture content; irrigation programming);
irrigating small rather than large areas;
monitoring the quality of irrigation water to prevent soil salinisation or degradation.
Lastly, the right balance needs to be struck in terms of the price of water, which hitherto has done little to encourage optimum use of the resource: in other words, it is time to treat water as a commodity.
Given the similarity of the problems posed by the mobilisation and management of water resources in the countries of the Mediterranean, regional co-operation should play a key role in fostering the exchange of knowledge and experience and helping individual countries to balance supply and demand.
ii. Promoting renewable forms of energy
It is necessary to replace fossil fuels and promote sustainable systems based on renewable forms of energy which, unlike the such fuels, do not contribute to global warming or to the greenhouse effect.
Wind, water and solar power should be able to replace limited firewood resources and thus help to preserve trees and forests. The use of these new forms of energy will help to stabilise climatic conditions, while encouraging rainfall and protecting soil moisture levels, thus ensuring permanent vegetation cover, which, in turn, will prevent erosion and desertification.
These new and genuinely competitive forms of energy will enable new water purification and desalination systems to be developed and will make a useful contribution with regard to irrigation and water pumping.
The use of locally available renewable energy forms to meet the power requirements of the agricultural sector will enable the area of farmland to be increased and also ensure sustainable development.
iii. Using biotechnology
Traditional techniques for breeding improved natural plant species for desert-like conditions can be boosted with the aid of biotechnological research.
Biotechnology offers a means of creating or modifying plants or animals so as to change their characteristics or properties. Modern, advanced agriculture must make use of biotechnology and genetic engineering if it wishes to increase yields without over-exploiting the environment.
The use of new, biotechnological crop-development methods in conjunction with traditional breeding techniques will lead to the creation of new varieties and hybrids which are more resistant to herbicides, insects and salinity and produce higher yields of a better quality.
Such methods should help to resolve the water shortage problem in the countries affected by desertification, as the selection of plant varieties which are more adapted to water with a high salt content, more resistant to drought and require less water should help to increase output and free significant quantities of fresh water. Trials in Israel have shown that it is possible to grow vegetables and fruit trees using brackish water and to produce high-quality, environmentally friendly cereals and crops using biotechnology. This method can shorten growth periods and bring high-added-value, quality produce to market more quickly.
Little known or used natural species which already exist may be used instead of, or along with, biotechnology.
It should, however, be stressed that the use of biotechnology in agriculture may result in negative consequences for the environment, unnecessary suffering to animals and new allergens in foods, etc. These and other issues call for special attention in the application of biotechnology, and many developments should also be subject to ethical considerations.
iv. Developing human resources
As most disasters which threaten humankind have human causes, it seems appropriate to give thought to what can be done to put individuals and society in a position to prevent them. In the face of the ecological disaster now threatening the Mediterranean, only education and training will enable the population to take charge of the situation and assume responsibility for their future.
Policies for combating desertification must therefore focus on developing human resources, from basic education through to technical training.
This is all the more necessary since nearly 40% of the Arab-Mediterranean population are illiterate (43% in Algeria and 52% in Egypt in 1990). The illiteracy rate is even higher among rural populations: in North Africa and the Middle East, 70,5% of men and 95,6% of women in rural areas are illiterate.
Access by rural women to education deserves particular attention. Women in rural areas plant, cultivate, harvest, process and use food crops, as well as feeding their families and bringing up their children. Given the importance of all these tasks, women must now be given a place in society in keeping with the role they play. If they were better educated, they would certainly be able to make a more effective contribution to birth control, which is particularly important given the need to restore balance, especially in dry southern Mediterranean countries, between population levels and ecosystem carrying capacities. Indeed, even though people are now aware of the need for birth control, birth rates are still above 3,5 in southern Mediterranean countries, except Tunisia (5,2 in Libya and 5,4 in Algeria), as against figures of under 2 in northern Mediterranean countries.
We must therefore help women take a different view of themselves and their social and economic role by stressing the value of the work they do in very difficult conditions.
As well as improving the status of women, investing in human beings has been a consistent objective of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Any education and training programmes should be co-ordinated with scientific research. Unfortunately, the resources currently allocated to research on combating drought and desertification bear no comparison with the scale of the two problems themselves.
As far as the dissemination of research findings is concerned, considerable emphasis must be placed on publicising them widely in rural areas, as the gap between existing know-how and actual farming practices is still very large.
v. Regional co-operation
There are no easy remedies for combating desertification, as it is necessary to act simultaneously against many different factors, which are not only ecological but also social and sometimes political in nature. What must now be clear, however, is that desertification is a problem demanding solidarity that goes much further than abstract declarations. The mobilisation of resources and the linking and improved co‑ordination of activities at national and regional levels are more necessary than ever if efforts to combat this threat are to succeed.
The countries in the Mediterranean basin need more than ever before to strengthen their co‑operation in order to define common environmental policies and take up the challenges of food security and sustainable agricultural development in the region.
Environmental problems are serious enough in the countries of the northern Mediterranean, but climatic factors and desertification make them much more serious in the countries of the south. The need to ensure a healthy environment for future generations in the Mediterranean basin demands north-south co‑operation. This should not entail misdirected generosity from one side, tending to increase the dependency of the other, but should, instead, be the fruit of obvious complementarity.
Only increased co-operation will permit higher investment in research and the transfer of technology. This is all the truer since the region includes countries which are small or poor (or both) and which are unable to fund scientific research on desertification on their own.
A major role in such intra-Mediterranean co‑operation falls to the ICAMAS (International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies), which fosters dialogue, consultation and exchanges between the various parties in the region (business circles, policy-makers, teachers, researchers and agricultural advisers). The ICAMAS should be a forum for pooling and disseminating know-how, as individual skills can be ineffective if kept separate, but are mutually enriching when brought together and networked.
The Mediterranean Committee of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP) should be closely associated with the work of the ICAMAS. It should also become a key partner in all discussions on agricultural and rural policies in the region, as well as on environmental policies.
The population pressures in many Mediterranean countries have destroyed the balance of the original ecosystem of a vulnerable region with limited water and land resources and difficult climatic conditions.
At present, the Mediterranean basin is confronted with the problem of desertification, which is damaging farmland irreversibly and preventing it from continuing to support the local population.
Although the spread of desertification is difficult to control, the participants at the Second Mediterranean Agricultural Forum stressed the need to implement effective strategies to combat the problem so as to increase agricultural output in the region and boost food security.
If desertification is to be combated effectively in order to achieve food security, particular attention must be paid to:
using water and land resources rationally and conserving them more effectively. The pressures on the environment must be stopped so as to prevent the complete exhaustion of natural resources. The use of biotechnology and renewable forms of energy may enable us to conserve or, indeed, optimise available resources;
taking measures to prevent over-grazing, deforestation and soil salinisation;
developing human resources through training and information and by involving local populations in the policies to combat desertification. At the same time, research programmes on desertification should be developed and the results should be publicised as widely as possible. Women must be full partners in the measures implemented;
attempting to control population growth, as rising populations mean growing needs. Migration caused by deteriorating environmental conditions has adverse effects both on the regions which people leave and on those to which they migrate;
fostering regional co-operation as a means of strengthening individual countries' own abilities through the exchange of knowledge and pooling of experience. An end must be put to the situation of hostile competition that prevails in the Mediterranean basin. Technological and research co‑operation should enable balance to be restored between the two sides of the Mediterranean;
actively involving the region's agricultural producers in the joint efforts to combat desertification, and giving them a leading role in implementing the measures needed to stem its advance.
Reporting committee: Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development.
Committees for an opinion: Committee on Economic Affairs and Development and Committee on the Environment, Regional Planning and Local Authorities.
Budgetary implications for the Assembly: none.
Reference to committee: Doc. 7405 and Reference No. 2038 of 9 November 1995.
Draft resolution adopted unanimously by the committee on 26 February 1996.
Members of the committee: MM. Scheer (Chairman), Seiler (Vice-Chairman), Adamiak, Bernardini, Bianchi (Alternate: Arata), Mrs Burbien�, MM. Caballero, _ern�, Connolly (Alternate: Pattison), Couveinhes, Dovgan, Feric (Alternate: Suhov), Fronzuti, Ghesqui�re, Ghimpu, Haraldsson, Hoejland, Holte, Hornung, Sir Ralph Howell, Mr Jeambrun, Mrs Johansson, MM. K_a_ko, Korkeaoja, Kotsonis, Lacour, Lanner, Van der Linden (Alternate: Woltjer), Lord Mackie of Benshie, Mrs Melandri, MM. Metelko, Michels, Mrs Moser, MM. Rippinger (Alternate: Kollwelter), Szak�l, Telgmaa, J. Thompson (Alternate: Alexander), Tribunovski, Valdmanis.
N.B. The names of those members present at the meeting are printed in italics.
Secretary to the committee: Mr Lervik.
[1]. By the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development.