The provided pie chart illustrates the global causes of agricultural land degradation, while the accompanying table details the proportional impact of these causes across three distinct regions during the 1990s: North America, Europe, and Oceania. Overall, over-grazing, deforestation, and over-cultivation were the predominant factors in worldwide land deterioration. Regionally, Europe experienced the highest percentage of land degradation, with the leading causes varying significantly between continents. Globally, over-grazing was the primary contributor to land degradation, accounting for 35% of the total. Deforestation followed closely, responsible for 30% of the diminished productivity, while over-cultivation was a significant factor at 28%. Only a small fraction, 7%, was attributed to other unspecified causes. This indicates that human activities related to agriculture and forestry were overwhelmingly responsible for the decline in land quality. Turning to the regional data, Europe recorded the most substantial land degradation, affecting 23% of its total area. Oceania followed with 13%, whereas North America had the lowest percentage at just 5%. Regarding specific causes, deforestation was particularly high in Europe at 9.8%, contrasting sharply with North America’s negligible 0.2%. Over-cultivation also impacted Europe most significantly (7.7%), with North America seeing 3.3% and Oceania showing no degradation from this cause. Conversely, over-grazing was the dominant issue in Oceania, degrading 11.3% of its land, making it by far the highest figure for this cause across all regions, followed by Europe (5.5%) and North America (1.5%).
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