We have to stop this cycle. Italy has a programme of helping the countries of North Africa to combat desertification, partly in order to stem the increasing tide of refugees attempting to reach Europe. The sustainable use of soil is one of Europe's greatest environmental, social and economic challenges. Because it can take hundreds or thousands of years to regenerate most soils, the damage occurring today is, for all purposes, irreversible. In a report published yesterday the agency said the first stages of serious soil degradation were being noted in parts of Europe and 150m hectares are at a high risk of erosion.
Deterioration is at a critical point in Mediterranean countries.
Hama Arba Diallo, the executive secretary of the convention, said most schemes to com bat desertification were small-scale and concentrated in border areas in Africa to prevent migration and conflict. If we had 100 times as much money we could do 100 similar schemes to push back the deserts. However, Mr Diallo said it was difficult to attract finance for such small local schemes.