3.2 Soil sealing, floods and fragmentation – an avoidable catastrophe?
25 May - 09.30 - 11.00
JENK room
In our efforts to put a roof above our head, or to move from A to B, we are gradually covering the countryside with cement and asphalt. That's bad news for the soil. Every year, an additional 1,000 km² of land is now being claimed for housing, industry, roads and recreational purposes in the EU. Almost 500 km² - an area half the size of Berlin - is completely sealed over. And the trends are worrying: in the first six years of this century, land take increased by 3% within the EU, and exceptionally high increases with more than 6% were observed in the Netherlands, Portugal, Ireland, Cyprus, and Spain.
The consequences are far-reaching. Soil sealing can mean the loss of fertile soils for food production, reduced water infiltration, and increased of run-off bringing additional flood risk and potentially catastrophic floods. Soil biodiversity suffers, and above-ground biodiversity also disappears as landscapes are fragmented.
This session will present land take trends in the EU, and explore ways to minimise the negative consequences of sealing.
Speakers:
Moderator:
- Michael Hamell, Head of Unit, Agriculture, Forests & Soil, DG Environment, European Commission
