First atlas of desertification in Spain: more than 40% of the territory is threatened

Murcia, Albacete, Almeria, Las Palmas, Valladolid and Alicante are the provinces most affected by this phenomenon that leads to the total loss of soil useful for ecology and agriculture

The scarcity of rainfall and high temperatures are the natural cocktail that evaporates water and hinders the growth of vegetation in a territory. This is what is known as aridity, which in Spain extends over two-thirds of its total soil. If human intervention is added to this mix, which overexploits natural resources, with a special impact on fresh water, then it becomes desertification, one of the country’s worst environmental nightmares. The first Atlas of Desertification of Spain (ADE), coordinated by specialists from the University of Alicante (UA) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), and presented this Thursday in Alicante, indicates that 206,217 square kilometers of the country suffer this type of degradation that leads to the total loss of soil useful for ecology and agriculture. which represents 60.9% of arid zones and 40.9% of the whole of Spanish territory. This last percentage represents double what was concluded in the last official estimate of desertification.

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