Soil and water supplies 'suffer' in China

According to a newly published report, all 646 counties in China are suffering from soil and water loss.

The three-year-long research, conducted by more than 1,000 researchers and 28 academic figures, discovered that 82 per cent of the counties worst affected lie in the Yangtze River and Yellow River regions.

Overall, two million square kilometers are in immediate need of treatment, reported the Xinhua News Agency.

The investigation is the largest and most extensive to be conducted within the country and was commissioned by the ministry of water resources and the Chinese academy of sciences.

Among the problems detected by the researchers were the increased silting of China's waterways, damage to agricultural land and a deterioration of the eco systems.

Another country whose natural features are under threat is Australia, according to spokesman for the World Wildlife Federation Nick Heath. He claimed that the Great Barrier Reef has been harmed by chemicals entering the water following heavy rains last week.