Iran Soil Erosion 7 Times Global Average

The annual rate of soil degradation in Iran is sevenfold higher than the global average while soil formation process is much slower than in other parts of the world due to its special geological formations, the head of Water and Soil Protection Department in Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization, affiliated to the Agriculture Ministry, said.
“Estimates of annual global average erosion rate is 2.2 tons per hectare, while the figure has surpassed 16.5 tons per hectare in Iran,” Hamidreza Peyrovan was also quoted as saying by ILNA.
Soil overexploitation by communities and industries, and changes in climate patterns, improper and unnecessary infrastructure development, land use changes and unlawful exploitation of resources are among reasons behind the ongoing disaster, he added.