septième réunion technique seventh technical meeting ... - IUCN

favoured by Nature and its destruction by erosion simply cannot be
found. Plato's description makes it clear that Greece during the
greatest period of the Hellenes was already a badly worn land. This
must mean that the people supporting the great culture of ancient
Hellas had to depend extensively upon supplies brought from overseas.
Here is perhaps a clue to understanding the brief duration of « one
of the highest moments in the history of human life ». It has been
stated that probably not over 2 per cent of Greece has its original
topsoil left today.
In the Mediterranean region as in other parts of the world, the
problem of keeping the topsoil in place on hill-sides has been solved
by terrace cultivation. Through the ages, a truly immense amount of
work has been spent on building terraces. What these represent of
work and of value is easily seen in the landscape. The terrace wall
is like a friendly embrace holding the earth, storing the priceless
rain-water and so providing an effective protection against wash and
winds.
So long as peace reigned and good care was taken of the land,
it was indeed possible by terracing reasonably well to protect and
preserve the cropped soils of Syria and North Africa as well as of
Italy and ancient Greece.
Not so in periods of unrest. The upkeep of terraces demands
effort continually renewed, and ruin sets in quickly in a neglected
terraced landscape. The result is seen on many hillsides in Italy and
Greece. The terraced lower slope may still be a site of flourishing
cultures. Yet higher up the slope, there is something resembling
ragged steps on the hillside, like an enormous flight of steps in front
of a temple. Only there is no temple, nothing but desert-like grey
expanses of land higher up the hill. The members of the Congress
will see such sights on their way to Delphi if not in Arcadia itself.
The ruined flights of steps are wasted terraces, useless heaps of stone
carrying but a few scattered haulms of grass for the sheep and goats
roaming the heights.
There are tens of thousands of square miles of such wrecked
terraces in the mountainous countries bordering on the Mediterranean.
All of them were once made to bear crops. Why have they been
abandoned, in countries thickly populated, with millions of people
longing for land to use and occupy ?
The answer is written by Fate in the landscape itself. The
course of events is told clearly enough by traces of settlements and
ruins of villages or towns. Wars and ravages have taken place,
towns have been taken by storm, the remaining inhabitants have
dispersed and stayed away perhaps for many years. At this point
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