Cuantification Of Land Degradation Sensitivity Areas In Romania Using European DISMED Data

Land degradation is presently an important environmental issue in many regions of the Globe, including Central South-Eastern Europe, where Romania is located. This study aims to quantify areas with significant sensitivity to degradation at national level, based on data provided by the European Envir...

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Main Author: Prăvălie Remus
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Press, Iasi, Romania 2015-10-01
Series:Present Environment and Sustainable Development
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/pesd.2015.9.issue-2/pesd-2015-0025/pesd-2015-0025.xml?format=INT
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author Prăvălie Remus
author_facet Prăvălie Remus
author_sort Prăvălie Remus
collection DOAJ
description Land degradation is presently an important environmental issue in many regions of the Globe, including Central South-Eastern Europe, where Romania is located. This study aims to quantify areas with significant sensitivity to degradation at national level, based on data provided by the European Environment Agency, obtained relatively recently through the DISMED project (Desertification Information System for the Mediterranean) in the Mediterranean and Central South-Eastern regions of Europe. The analysis is based on extracting SDI index (Desertification Sensitivity Index) information for the country’s entire territory, as well as for certain major regional, natural (landforms) and anthropogenic (counties) units. Thus, the areas corresponding to the most representative classes for land degradation potential in Romania were extracted, i.e. the ones with moderate and high sensitivity. The study also attempts to differentiate the degradation / desertification processes spatially, by delimiting drylands, for which the land degradation process is considered to be equivalent to desertification. The results showed that, at national level, there are ~ 72 000 km2 of lands with moderate and high degradation potential (30% of the country’s total surface), of which 80% (~ 57 000 km2) can be classified as sensitive to desertification. It was noticed that most degradation-prone areas are concentrated in the Romanian Plain (~ 30000 km2 moderate sensitivity) and the Dobrogea Plateau (~ 4150 km2 high sensitivity), in terms of the natural criterion, and in Braila (~ 4200 km2 moderate sensitivity) and Constanta (~ 3200 km2 high sensitivity) counties, in terms of the anthropogenic one. It was also found that land degradation in these areas corresponds to desertification, considering the existence of dry sub-humid and semi-arid climates, which are components of dryland systems.
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spelling doaj.art-fbf2918652d4474aae25454f8cb28b702022-12-21T19:45:25ZengAlexandru Ioan Cuza University Press, Iasi, RomaniaPresent Environment and Sustainable Development2284-78202015-10-0192738610.1515/pesd-2015-0025pesd-2015-0025Cuantification Of Land Degradation Sensitivity Areas In Romania Using European DISMED DataPrăvălie Remus0PhD. student, University of Bucharest, Faculty of Geography, Bucharest, RomaniaLand degradation is presently an important environmental issue in many regions of the Globe, including Central South-Eastern Europe, where Romania is located. This study aims to quantify areas with significant sensitivity to degradation at national level, based on data provided by the European Environment Agency, obtained relatively recently through the DISMED project (Desertification Information System for the Mediterranean) in the Mediterranean and Central South-Eastern regions of Europe. The analysis is based on extracting SDI index (Desertification Sensitivity Index) information for the country’s entire territory, as well as for certain major regional, natural (landforms) and anthropogenic (counties) units. Thus, the areas corresponding to the most representative classes for land degradation potential in Romania were extracted, i.e. the ones with moderate and high sensitivity. The study also attempts to differentiate the degradation / desertification processes spatially, by delimiting drylands, for which the land degradation process is considered to be equivalent to desertification. The results showed that, at national level, there are ~ 72 000 km2 of lands with moderate and high degradation potential (30% of the country’s total surface), of which 80% (~ 57 000 km2) can be classified as sensitive to desertification. It was noticed that most degradation-prone areas are concentrated in the Romanian Plain (~ 30000 km2 moderate sensitivity) and the Dobrogea Plateau (~ 4150 km2 high sensitivity), in terms of the natural criterion, and in Braila (~ 4200 km2 moderate sensitivity) and Constanta (~ 3200 km2 high sensitivity) counties, in terms of the anthropogenic one. It was also found that land degradation in these areas corresponds to desertification, considering the existence of dry sub-humid and semi-arid climates, which are components of dryland systems.http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/pesd.2015.9.issue-2/pesd-2015-0025/pesd-2015-0025.xml?format=INTland degradationdesertificationsensitivityDISMEDareaRomania
spellingShingle Prăvălie Remus
Cuantification Of Land Degradation Sensitivity Areas In Romania Using European DISMED Data
Present Environment and Sustainable Development
land degradation
desertification
sensitivity
DISMED
area
Romania
title Cuantification Of Land Degradation Sensitivity Areas In Romania Using European DISMED Data
title_full Cuantification Of Land Degradation Sensitivity Areas In Romania Using European DISMED Data
title_fullStr Cuantification Of Land Degradation Sensitivity Areas In Romania Using European DISMED Data
title_full_unstemmed Cuantification Of Land Degradation Sensitivity Areas In Romania Using European DISMED Data
title_short Cuantification Of Land Degradation Sensitivity Areas In Romania Using European DISMED Data
title_sort cuantification of land degradation sensitivity areas in romania using european dismed data
topic land degradation
desertification
sensitivity
DISMED
area
Romania
url http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/pesd.2015.9.issue-2/pesd-2015-0025/pesd-2015-0025.xml?format=INT
work_keys_str_mv AT pravalieremus cuantificationoflanddegradationsensitivityareasinromaniausingeuropeandismeddata