The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of Belarus is developing a National Action Programme to Combat Land Degradation

August 6, Gorodok / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection has initiated the creation of a National Action Program to Combat Land Degradation, Vladimir Savchenko, Head of the Special State Inspection for Control over the Use and Protection of Lands, Flora, Forests, and Landscapes of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, told BELTA correspondent. Work on the program has already begun. The need for its creation is due to the need to regulate issues of land protection, restoration, and accounting. As Vladimir Savchenko noted, every second agricultural region of Belarus experiences a humus imbalance. "More nutrients are removed from the soil with the harvest than are introduced into it," the specialist explained. For example, only 30% of the required phosphorus is introduced into the soil. Another problem with land in Belarus is reclaimed, peat soils. Over time, they turn into low-fertility lands unsuitable for agricultural production. Climate change also negatively affects the condition of soils: the number of lands prone to wind erosion is increasing. The problem of land degradation is relevant for Belarus, Vladimir Savchenko stated, and requires a systematic approach to its solution. The priorities of the national program are being discussed today in Gorodok (Vitebsk region) at the seminar "Protection of Lands/Soils from Erosion and its Reflection in the National Action Program to Combat Land Degradation." The seminar is held within the framework of the EU and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) project "Capacity Building in Strategic Environmental Assessment and Implementation of Environmental Conventions in the Republic of Belarus." -0-