The German Advisory Council on Global Change Wissenschaftlicher Beirat der Bundesregierung Globale Umweltveränderungen Members as at July 1, 1994 Prof. Dr. Friedrich O. Beese Agronomist: Director of the Institute of Soil Science and Forest Nutrition at the University of Göttingen (Institut für Bodenkunde und Waldernährung an der Universität Göttingen) Prof Dr. Hartmut Graßl (Chairman) Physicist: Director of the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Hamburg (Max-Planck-Institut für Mete- orologie, Hamburg) Prof. Dr. Gotthilf Hempel Fishery biologist: Director of the Centre for Marine Tropical Ecology at the University of Bremen (Zentrum für Marine Tropenökologie an der Universität Bremen) Prof. Dr. Paul Klemmer Economist: President of the Rhenish-Westphalian Institute for Economic Research, Essen (Rheinisch- Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Essen) Prof. Dr. Lenelis Kruse-Graumann Psychologist: Specialist in “Ecological Psychology” at the Open University Hagen (Schwerpunkt “Ökologische Psychologie” an der Fernuniversität Hagen) Prof. Dr. Karin Labitzke Meteorologist: Institute for Meteorology at the Free University Berlin (Institut für Meteorologie der Freien Universität Berlin) Prof. Dr. Heidrun Mühle Agronomist: Head of the Department of Agricultural Lands at the Environmental Research Centre, Leipzig-Halle (Projektbereich Agrarlandschaften am Umweltforschungszentrum Leipzig-Halle) Prof. Dr. Hans-Joachim Schellnhuber Physicist: Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (Potsdam-Institut für Klimafolgen- forschung) Prof. Dr. Udo Ernst Simonis Economist: Department of Technology – Work – Environment at the Science Centre Berlin (Forschungs- schwerpunkt Technik – Arbeit – Umwelt am Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin) Prof. Dr. Hans-Willi Thoenes Technologist: Rhenish-Westphalian Technical Control Board, Essen (Rheinisch-Westfälischer TÜV, Essen) Prof. Dr. Paul Velsinger Economist: Head of the Department of Regional Economics at the University of Dortmund (Fachgebiet Raumwirtschaftspolitik an der Universität Dortmund) Prof. Dr. Horst Zimmermann (Deputy Chairman) Economist: Department of Public Finance at the University of Marburg (Abteilung für Finanzwissenschaft an der Universität Marburg) German Advisory Council on Global Change World in Transition: The Threat to Soils 1994 Annual Report Economica Verlag External contributions and corrections to this Report are gratefully acknowledged from Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter Blume, Prof. Dr. Rainer Horn und Prof. Dr. Jürgen Lamp (Institut für Pflanzenernährung und Bodenkunde der Universität Kiel; the authors have been advised by the Deutsche Bodenkundliche Gesellschaft, DBG) Dipl. Pol. Birga Dexel (Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin), Josef Herkendell (Ministerium für Umwelt, Raumordnung und Landwirtschaft des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen), Prof. Dr. Hermann Waibel and Artur Runge-Metzger with collaboration of Gerd Fleischer, Adam Koziolek and Sunday Oladeji (Institut für Agrarökonomie der Universität Göttingen) and Dr. Roland Weiß (Dritte Welt Haus, Bielefeld). Die Deutsche Bibliothek – CIP-Einheitsaufnahme World in transition: the threat to soils / German Advisory Council on Global Change. – Bonn: Economica Verl., 1995 (Annual report / German Advisory Council on Global Change; 1994) Dt. Ausg. u.d.T.: Welt im Wandel ISBN 3-87081-055-6 NE: Deutschland / Wissenschaftlicher Beirat Globale Umweltveränderungen © 1995 Economica Verlag GmbH, Bonn All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication, or part of this publication, without the express permission of the publishers. Translation by: Spence & Meadows, Bremen Cover photo: Satellite image of Central Florida, USA. Image kindly supplied by EOSAT, Lanham, Maryland, USA. Cover design by: Dieter Schulz Typeset by: Atelier Frings GmbH, Bonn Printed by: Paderborner Druck Centrum, Paderborn Printed on 100% recycled paper ISBN 3-87081-055-6 Printed in Germany Contents V Outline of Contents A Summary World in Transition: The Threat to Soils ................................................. 1 B Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 11 C Standard section: Selected aspects of Global Change ....................................... 12 1 Current developments ......................................................................................................................... 12 1.1 Carbon cycle ........................................................................................................................................ 12 1.2 Stratospheric ozone depletion ............................................................................................................. 13 1.3 Further development of the Global Environmental Facility ............................................................... 15 1.4 An instrument for the “Framework Convention on Climate Change”: Joint Implementation ............ 18 1.5 A contribution to the “Convention on Biological Diversity”: CITES ................................................. 25 1.6 The concept of the “Convention to Combat Desertification” ............................................................. 33 2 The structure of German research on Global Change ......................................................................... 36 2.1 Interdisciplinarity ................................................................................................................................ 36 2.2 International linkages .......................................................................................................................... 37 2.3 Problem-solving competence .............................................................................................................. 38 D Focus section: The threat to soils ...................................................................................... 39 1 General issues ...................................................................................................................................... 39 1.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 39 1.2 Global analysis of the stress-bearing and carrying capacity of soils ................................................... 57 1.3 Causes and effects of soil degradation ................................................................................................ 78 2 Two regional case studies of soil degradation .................................................................................... 180 2.1 The “Sahel” case study ........................................................................................................................ 180 2.2 The “Leipzig-Halle-Bitterfeld” agglomeration case study .................................................................. 205 3 Focus section: Research recommendations ......................................................................................... 215 3.1 Soil research and Global Change ........................................................................................................ 215 3.2 Global soil inventory ........................................................................................................................... 215 3.3 Habitat function ................................................................................................................................... 216 3.4 Regulation function ............................................................................................................................. 216 3.5 Utilisation function .............................................................................................................................. 217 3.6 Cultural function ................................................................................................................................. 217 4 Focus section: Recommended action .................................................................................................. 219 4.1 Initial remarks ..................................................................................................................................... 219 4.2 Global food security ............................................................................................................................ 220 4.3 Integrating the habitat function into food security .............................................................................. 221 4.4 Population pressure and soil degradation ............................................................................................ 222 4.5 Towards international regulations ....................................................................................................... 222 E References ..................................................................................................................................... 225 F Acronyms ........................................................................................................................................ 241 G Glossary .......................................................................................................................................... 242 VI Contents H The German Advisory Council on Global Change ................................................. 249 I Joint Decree on the Establishment of the German Advisory Council on Global Change ..........................................................................................................................