Statesman Journal

September 11, 1997

Land degradation is an issue of great importance to the Australians.

They live on a continent where 70 percent of the land is so dry that evaporation exceeds rainfall for several months each year.

For decades, settlement policies have supported land clearing in Western Australia.  That's led to the point where only one-third of the nation's native forest remains.

Vast stretches of land once cleared for farmland now sit idle because the soil has lost all capacity to hold water.

For the 20 students who traveled from Warnbro Community High School in Australia this week, land degradation threatens not only their world, but ours as well.

They discovered in their research a tremendous loss of native vegetation worldwide.

On a continental basis, this is the percentage of native plants remaining:

* 5 percent in North America

* 14 percent in South America

* 23 percent in Europe

* 20 percent in Asia

* 22 percent in Africa

* 13 percent in Oceania

As part of the summit results, the Australian team has an overall goal. Members summarized it like this: Seldom does (land degradation) escape the selective ignorance containing it...and we hope to award it the attention it desperately needs."