ScienceDaily: A new study published in the journal Soil Use and Management attempts for the first time to measure the extent and severity of land degradation across the globe and concludes that 24% of the land area is degrading — often in very productive areas. Land degradation – the decline in the quality of soil, water and vegetation — is of profound importance but until now there have been no consistent global data by which to assess its extent and severity. For nearly thirty years the world …