A complex spatial inventory of land degradation and desertification in Romania

Land degradation is a complicated environmental issue that involves multiple operating and interacting degradative processes, which have so far remained uninvestigated in Romania. This study explores the multidimensional nature of land degradation in Romania, by processing, mapping and examining 12 degradation processes (water erosion, wind erosion, tillage erosion, soil organic carbon loss, soil salinization, soil acidification, soil compaction, soil nutrient imbalances, soil pollution via heavy metals, vegetation degradation, groundwater decline and aridity) occurring throughout the agricultural environments of this country. By using multiple geospatial datasets, analyzed individually and combined into a Land Multi-degradation Index, a complex spatial pattern of land degradation and desertification was revealed across the country. Essentially, the results indicated between 1 and 40 % of Romania’s agricultural area impacted by critical levels of singular processes, highlighting the degradative pathways of soil compaction (40 %), aridity (24 %), tillage erosion (22 %), soil nutrient imbalances (22 %) and water erosion (20 %) as the greatest threats to agricultural landscapes countrywide. Also, the findings on the co-occurring processes highlighted that over 4 % (∼5800 km 2 ) of agricultural lands in Romania are cumulatively affected by high and very high degradation (and desertification) conditions, detected based on the synergistic action of 4 and ≥5 drivers of degradation. The detailed cartographic and statistical results of this study represent the first comprehensive inventory of land degradation and desertification processes, in terms of typology, extent, spatial interaction and intensity of land degradative pathways, and can constitute a valuable informational support for land degradation-related policies in Romania.