One third of world soils degraded (FAO)

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations estimates that a third of all soils are degraded, due to erosion, compaction, soil sealing, soil organic matter and nutrient depletion, acidification, pollution and other processes caused by unsustainable land management practices.

Jose Graziano da Silva, the director-general of FAO, made the remarks on Thursday, eve of the first World Soil Day to be celebrated on Dec. 5. Unless new approaches are adopted, the global amount of arable and productive land per person will in 2050 be only one-fourth of the level in 1960, he warned.

It can take up to 1,000 years to form one centimeter of soil, and with 33 percent of all global soil resources degraded and human pressures increasing, critical limits are being reached that make stewardship an urgent matter, Graziano da Silva said.

Calling soils a "nearly forgotten resource," he urged more investment in sustainable soil management, saying that would be cheaper than restoration and "is needed for the achievement of food security and nutrition, climate change adaptation and mitigation and overall sustainable development."

According to FAO, tiny organisms such as bacteria and fungi underground act as the primary agents driving nutrient cycling and help plants by improving nutrient intake, in turn supporting above-ground biodiversity as well.

Better management can assure that those usually unnoticed organisms boost soil's ability to absorb carbon and mitigate desertification, so that even more carbon can be sequestered -- helping offset agriculture's own emissions of greenhouse gases, FAO said.
Xinhua - english.cntv.cn
5/12/14

Mayor of Rhodes says may restore Colossus

Scientists will discuss possible restoration of Colossus of Rhodes – one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Rhodes Mayor Fotis Chatzidiakos told Agence France-Presse.

The possibility of restoring the 31-meter statue will be discussed during a special conference that will take place on the island in 2015. “We have always considered restoring the Colossus. However, it is important to discuss the details of possible reconstruction with scientists,” Chatzidiakos noted.

The world’s most famous and distinguished sculptors and architects are willing to realize this project.

The Colossus was dedicated to the God of sun Helios – the protector of Rhodes. It was built in 292 BC just in 12 years. 

The metal for statue was melted from weapons and siege engines abandoned in Rhodes by one of the conquerors. However, 66 years after construction, the statue was destroyed by a strong earthquake. 

The attempts to raise it failed, and the Colossus spent next 900 years lying on the side. 

The Saracens that conquered Rhodes in 654 broke the giant statue to pieces and sold it to a merchant from Syria.
en.itar-tass.com
13/11/14
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Minister proposes restoration of Rome's Colosseum arena floor

Italy's culture minister has backed a proposal to rebuild the floor of Rome's Colosseum, allowing visitors to stand in the arena where gladiators once fought.

In ancient times, a wooden floor covered with sand was built on top of tunnels through which animals, fighters or performers were brought into the arena. For more than a century, this underground structure has been exposed.

Italian archaeologist Daniele Manacorda suggested in July that a floor should be put back in the Colosseum.
Not only would tourists appreciate it, but the amphitheatre could again be used to stage events, Manacorda wrote in the July issue of "Archeo" archaeological journal.

"I like (the idea) very much," Culture Minister Darion Franceschini wrote on Twitter on Sunday. "All is needed is a bit of courage."

The Colosseum is currently undergoing a privately funded restoration, one of several projects in Italy meant to save its cultural landmarks from decay as money from the government dwindles.
 [buenosairesherald.com]
2/11/14

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Part of Vasari Corridor roof collapses in Florence. Restoration work has begun on the historic walkway, after plaster and tiles fall over the weekend

Florence' Vasari Corridor, theartnewspaper.com

Emergency restoration work started today on a section of Florence’s famous Vasari Corridor, after some plaster and tiles fell from the roof on Friday. The damage occurred in the section of the raised corridor that passes next to the church of Santa Felicita, just over the Ponte Vecchio, on the south side of the river Arno.
It is reported that no one was hurt, and museum professionals are already establishing the best course of action to restore the damage to the building. Around ten portraits have been removed from the walls as a precaution while restoration work begins, but the popular tourist site will remain open.


Coincidentally, the same portion of the corridor was due to be closed most of next month while curators install a series of self-portraits of 20th-century and contemporary artists for an exhibition that is scheduled to open at the end of September.

The Vasari Corridor is a long, raised passageway that connects the Palazzo Vecchio, in Piazza della Signoria, with Palazzo Pitti, on the other side of the river Arno. It passes through and along some of Florence’s most important landmarks, such as the Uffizi galleries, the Ponte Vecchio and the Boboli Gardens. It was designed and built in 1564 by Giorgio Vasari, the quintessential renaissance man, artist, architect and writer, to allow Cosimo de Medici and the rest of the Florentine elite to walk safely through the city.

A car bomb explosion in 1993, suspected to have been set off by the Mafia, damaged the section of the corridor closest to the Uffizi’s entrance, including works by Rubens, and killed six people.
http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Part-of-Vasari-Corridor-roof-collapses-in-Florence/30213
19/8/13