Pie chart illustrate the main reasons why agricultural land becomes less productive, while the table compares the impact causes in three regions-North America, Europe, and Oceania-during the 1990s.
Overall,over-grazing was the leading cause of land degradation globally, whereas deforestation and over-cultivation also contributed significantly. In terms of regions, Europe experienced the highest proportion of degradation land, while Oceania was the least affected.
According to the pie-chart, over-grazing accounted for the highest share of land degradation at 35%. This was followed by deforestation, which made up 30% of total. Over-cultivation was responsible for 28%, while other factors contributed the smallest proportion, at just 7%.
Turning to the table, Europe had the highest percentage of degraded land overall, at 23%, mainly due to deforestation (9.8%) and overcultivation (7.7%). In contrast, North America saw 15% of its land affected, with over-cultivation being the dominant cause at 3.3%. Oceania experienced the lowest level of land degradation, at 13%, almost entirely as a result of over-grazing, which accounted for 11.3%, while deforestation had no impact in this region.