Band 9: The pie chart below shows the main reasons why agricultural land becomes less productive. The table shows how these causes affected three regions of the world during the 1990s. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

The pie chart presents the principal reasons for land degradation worldwide, while the table outlines how this problem affects three specific locations – North America, Europe, and Oceania – based on key contributing elements. Overall, over-grazing was the most significant trigger of global soil exhaustion, followed by deforestation and excessive farming. Among the areas examined, Europe recorded the largest share of deteriorated land, whereas North America exhibited the lowest.

In terms of international proportions, animal-related land pressure accounted for 35% of total depletion, narrowly exceeding forest loss (30%) and intensive cultivation (28%). The remaining 7% was attributed to less common sources, rendering them relatively insignificant.

The tabular data shows that Europe’s total soil deterioration reached 23%, mainly due to logging (9.8%) and recurrent planting (7.7%). Oceania followed with 13%, the bulk of which (11.3%) stemmed from grazing-related stress, with no loss reported from over-cultivation. By comparison, North America saw the smallest decline – just 5% – primarily caused by harmful agricultural practices (3.3%).