Greece
Author: Nichola Geeson <desertlinks@medalus.demon.co.uk>

The report from Greece prepared for UNCCD COP 6, in the document Repères et Indicateurs [1], gives comprehensive information about the current application and use of benchmarks and indicators in Greece. The Greek National Committee for Combating Desertification and the Agricultural University of Athens have recently developed systems for small and large scale mapping of desertification sensitive areas and have produced respective maps. The systems are empirical and they have been incorporated in the National Action Plan Against Desertification.

A 1:1,000,000 scale desertification vulnerability map (Yassoglou et al. 2001 [6]; GNCCD, 2002 [7]) was compiled on the basis of principles and indicators proposed by Yassoglou (1995) [8] and of CORINE (1992) [9].

Indicators used for the definition of the sensitivity of the mapping units were derived from:

• The soil mapping units of the ESB 1:1,000, 000 Soil Map of Europe. The Greek mapping units are characteristic of erosional sequences of each soil in each geologic formation, climatic zone and vegetation cover. Therefore, soil units are indicative of the extent of the erosion that has taken place, the erosion risk, the soil depth and the soil drought risk. Tabular data concerning the composition of the soil mapping unit and the erodibility of the soils are derived from the tabular data of the ESB georeferenced Soil Map of Europe.
• Slope gradient as determined by the CORINE project (1992) and tabular data from the ESB 1:1,000,000 Soil Map of Europe data base were used to assess the potential erosion risk of the soil-mapping units.
  
• The bioclimatic zone classified according to the Bagnouls-Gaussen bioclimatic index (BGI) for each soil-mapping unit were derived from the Bioclimatic Map of Greece. The aridity of each unit was derived from this map and it was used to estimate soil drought, soil salinity and potential resilience of damaged vegetation cover.
  
• Irrational irrigation and salt seawater into coastal aquifers intrusion were derived from information on irrigation works and the seawater intrusion map (Ministry of Agriculture). The data were used along with the proximity to the sea to estimate the secondary salinization risk of the irrigated soils.
  

Full descriptions of these indicators are given in Repères et Indicateurs [10]. The indicators were used as layers to delineate the mapping units in a 1:1,000,000 potential desertification risk map for Greece in an ARCINFO environment.

The defined units correspond to the two main processes and are the following:

• Low risk, due to soil erosion and bioclimatic aridity
• Medium risk, due to soil erosion and bioclimatic aridity
  
• High risk due, to soil erosion and bioclimatic aridity
• Salinization risk due to irrational irrigation, bioclimatic aridity and sea proximity

Other scales. A system developed under the auspices of the MEDALUS III project [11] was used for preparing the desertification sensitive areas map of the island of Lesvos at a scale of 1:50,000. Fifteen separate indicators are combined to give a quantitative evaluation of desertification sensitivity.

Collaboration with research programmes. The Greek National Committee to Combat Desertification (GNCCD) collaborated with the European Commission research projects DESERTLINKS and MEDACTION in developing indicators of land desertification. A list of about 48 candidate indicators has been described and analysed in order to define and map (a) the present stage of land desertification and (b) the desertification risk. The indicators are divided in the following two broad categories: regional and local. Regional indicators are used to define desertification risk of broad areas at a small scale (>1:100,000) and local indicators are used to define desertification risk at large scale (<50,000). The list of candidate indicators was studied in detail under field conditions in collaboration with the land-users. The table below shows those indicators of relevance to Greek conditions that can be used for mapping ESAs to desertification and defining desertification risk.

Categories of indicators for Greece

References

[1] Repères et indicateurs. UNCCD, CST, May 2003. ICCDCOP(6)CST5.pdf
[2] p3 Greek National Action Plan for Combating Desertification, Athens Jan. 2001. www.unccd.int/actionprogrammes/northmed/national/2001/greece-eng.pdf
[3] p24 2nd National Report of Greece on the implementation of the UNCCD. http://unccd.int/cop/reports/northmed/national/2002/greece-eng.pdf
[4] p 13 Second National Report of Greece on the implementation of the UNCCD, 2002 http://unccd.int/cop/reports/northmed/national/2002/greece-eng.pdf
[5] p12 Repères et indicateurs. UNCCD, CST, May 2003. ICCDCOP(6)CST5.pdf
[6] Full reference not available
[7] Full reference not available
[8] Yassoglou, N. 1995. Land and Desertification, In Fantechi, R., Peter, D. Balabanis, P. and Rubio, J.L. eds. Desertification in the a European context. Physical and socio-economic aspects. Europeans Commission EUR 15415 EN.
[9] CORINE 1992 Soil erosion risk and important land resources. European Commission, EUR 13233 EN.
[10] pp 19 to 28 Repères et indicateurs. UNCCD, CST, May 2003. ICCDCOP(6)CST5.pdf
[11] Kosmas C, Kirkby M and Geeson N, 1999. The MEDALUS project. Mediterranean Desertification and Land Use. Manual on key indicators of desertification and mapping environmentally sensitive areas to desertification. European Commission, Brussels.

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