Land degradation means loss in the capacity of a given land to support the growth of useful plants on a sustained basis. Although erosion happens naturally, human activities can make it much worse. This is being further aggravated by environmental degradation, population growth. Land degradation is a change to land that makes it less useful for human beings. Land degradation is the major consequences of direct interference of human activities in the natural phenomenon. Nov 27, 2016 land degradation also called soil degradation is continuing to grow into a major problem in todays world. Soil erosion has been and remains one of the major causes of that degradation. Desertification affects the livelihoods of millions of people, as. Forest degradation results owing to decrease in tree cover, the biodiversity in the forests or the changes to a lower state of the forest structure.
What else can be done page 2 page 1 by professor nils nykvist improving the management of livestock continued this land degradation could be significantly reduced if the animals were not grazing down the vegetation so hard near the water supply during the rainy season, when there is water enough in other places with better grazing capacity than near the settlements. Pdf acknowledged by world leaders as a global problem, land. Discharge of various kinds of chemicals on land adjacent to forest regions makes the environment unappealing to the survival of trees, vegetations, and animal species. Land degradation is a gradual, negative environmental process accelerated by human activity, which lowers the productive capacity of land. Following are some practises for controlling land degradation. The causes of land degradation in this category will require immediate application or available. Prevention and remediation of soil erosion and degradation. More houses and roads are built and the grazing lands diminish. Mar 28, 2018 a new international report makes for bleak reading on the state of the worlds soils.
The case study on the syrian arab republic focuses on the rangeland area of the bishri mountains, located in a semiarid to arid. The bunds prevent water from flowing down the slopes and help retain soil moisture. Prevention, remediation, and restoration land management measures to address soil threats and degradation, including their. Effective prevention of desertification requires both local management and macro policy approaches that promote sustainability of ecosystem services. Other measures to prevent land degradation are deacribed in the basic. In drylands, however, the most serious landdegradation problem is water and wind erosion. Land degradation is a process in which the value of the physical environment is affected by a combination of humaninduced processes acting upon the land. Land degradation is, usually, the result of complex interrelationships between biophysical and socioeconomic issues which affect many people and their land, specially in the tropics and developing countries. The change in the characteristic and quality of soil which adversely affect its fertility is called as degradation. Land degradation degraded land edible product natural fertility improve food security these keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. Land degradation reduces land productivity and increases the workload of managing the 42 land, affecting women disproportionally in some regions. Aprevalent notion is that human abuse of the environment is a.
It is one of the agricultural practice in which different crops are grown in same area following a rotation system w. However, the physical cause of land degradation is commonly a reduction in soil quality. The project helped restore 30 ha of degraded woodland and placed them. Mitigate the causes and negative effects of land degradation on the structure and. Although there is a link between land degradation and conflict, we should be careful not to blame the victims. It is evident that if soil is degraded it has huge impacts on both the land and landscape, because soil degradation prevents or impedes plant growth. Land degradation is harming the wellbeing of 32 billion people and the impact of its effects will only grow with time.
National action plan to combat land degradation sprep. Land degradation and preventive measures from the perspective of the stakeholders 1,4 mosayeb heshmati, 1,3 arifin abdu, 1nik muhamad majid and 2j. Keeping our planet clean for future generations is one of the most important things we can do with our limited time here, so that our continue reading the best ways to prevent environmental degradation. Physical degradation refers to a deterioration in physical properties of soil whereas biological degradation refers to reduction in soil organic matter, decline in biomass carbon and decrease in activity and diversity of soil fauna. Soil degradation causes include agricultural, industrial, and commercial pollution. On the other hand, land pollution is the degradation of the earths surface through wrong application or use of the soils by means of devastating farming techniques that are inimical to the environment. Causes of soil degradation and methods for soil conservation.
The best ways to prevent environmental degradation future. Jan 30, 2019 preventing environmental degradation is a journey that we should all take part in. Soil degradation is a consequence of intensive land use management, which is assumed to be caused by human impact, poverty, and a response to economic opportunities at the global level lambin et al. Unesco eolss sample chapters water resources management vol. Desertification includes land degradation in arid, semiarid and dry sub humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities. Measures to prevent overstocking and overgrazing in. The best possible way to help prevent environmental degradation, is to give back to the environment. One of the calamitous effects of land pollution is the destruction of nearby forests together with its ecosystems. All measures that protect soils from erosion, salinization, and other forms of soil degradation effectively prevent desertification. Prevention and control measures for land degradation. Surface cover is a major factor to control erosion because it reduces the impact of raindrops falling on bare soils and wind removing soil particles.
Soil degradation is a serious global environmental problem and may be exacerbated by climate change. Total cover is achievable for many grazing and cropping systems. While it threatens biodiversity and the living standards of other living species, the largest effect of this by far, is on human life. With the continuing population density increase also the livestock population grows. The condition of the soil is one of the best indicators of land degradation. A new international report makes for bleak reading on the state of the worlds soils.
Land degradation at the catchment scale in iran is widespread, usually assumed to be accelerated by the activities of local inhabitants. Pdf land degradation control and its global environmental. Desertification and land degradation can contribute to local warming by reducing plant cover and increasing soil exposure, which changes the energy balance of an area. It is viewed as any change or disturbance to the land perceived to be deleterious or undesirable. One of the calamitous effects of land pollution is the. Land degradation is categorized into three types i. The term land degradation involves both soil and vegetation degradation. Prevention and remediation of soil erosion and degradation the most effective method to prevent erosion is to increase the vegetation cover on soil, thus preventing wind and water erosion. Land degradation soil degradation is the decline in soil quality caused by its improper use, usually for agricultural, pastoral, industrial or urban purposes.
This can lead to unsustainable agricultural practices, further land degradation, exacerbated urban sprawl, and sociopolitical problems. Shamshuddin 1department of forest production, faculty of forestry, 2department of land management, faculty of agriculture, 3institute of tropical forestry and forest products. Preventing and managing erosion environment, land and water. Land degradation food and agriculture organization of the united.
Mar 02, 2020 land and soil are some of the most important resources we have on earth. This module is intended for forest and land managers, as well as for stakeholders in all sectors involved in joint efforts to reduce forest degradation. It not only destroys land resources, but also causes. The concept of land degradation originates from soil degradation and it is oft en used as a synonym for soil degradation. The global problem of land degradation and desertification.
It thus covers the various forms of soil degradation, adverse human impacts on water. Reducing land degradation what else can be done page 2. Leaving unploughed land strips between ploughed ones, known as strip cropping, also help reduce erosion. Land degradation results from a complex chain of causes making the clear distinction. Soil degradation is the loss of lands production capacity in terms of loss of soil fertility, soil biodiversity, and degradation.
Chapter 2 types of land degradation food and agriculture. Ekiti state is enhanced because of high demand for wood fuel. Land degradation is the temporary or permanent lowering of the productive capacity of land unep, 1992b. May 01, 2019 land degradation soil degradation is the decline in soil quality caused by its improper use, usually for agricultural, pastoral, industrial or urban purposes. To avoid overgrazing forest management programmes restrict grazing in forests. It encompasses physical soil erosion, chemical salinity and alkalinity, pollution and biological deterioration pollution and. In addition, soil erosion is considered to be one of the main forms of global soil degradation. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves. More importantly, land degradation has seriously taken a toll on the economic prosperity of many. The soil integrates a variety of important processes involving vegetation growth, overland flow of water, infiltration, land use and land management.
In addition, the forces leading to land degradation problems can only increase with growth in population. In this report, land degradation is defined as a negative trend 4 in land condition, caused by direct or indirect. The degradation, prevention and treatment of black soil in. The degradation, prevention and treatment of black soil in jilin province bian hongfeng1, sheng lianxi1, yang guang2, 3, jiang jing1 1 key laboratory of wetland ecology and vegetation restoration of national environmental. History, nature, causes, consequences, and solutions conacher, arthur encyclopedia of life support systems eolss above. Land degradation has accelerated during the 20th century due to increasing and combined pressures of agricultural and livestock production overcultivation, overgrazing, forest conversion, urbanization, deforestation, and extreme weather events such as droughts and coastal surges which salinate land.
Soil degradation is, in itself, an indicator of land degradation. A general definition of land degradation is presented by wasson 1987 as. It predicts that land degradation will displace up to 700 million people worldwide by midcentury. The causes of land degradation in this category will require immediate application or available technology. Integrated land and water management are key methods of desertification prevention. Land degradation is a process in which the value of the physical environment is affected by a. It also reduces the speed of water flowing over the land. Desertification has been defined as land degradation in arid, semiarid, and dry subhumid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities11. Bare soil is easily swept away by wind and water, the. It provides guidance on how to slow, halt and reverse forest degradation within a managers sphere of control and influence. Nap addresses the underlying causes of land degradation and drought, and identifies measures to prevent and rehabilitate it. The most effective method to prevent erosion is to increase the vegetation cover on soil, thus preventing wind and water erosion. Causes and impacts of land degradation and desertification.
Land degradation development is an international journal which seeks to promote rational study of the recognition, monitoring, control and rehabilitation of degradation in terrestrial environments. Desertification affects as much as onesixth of the worlds population, seventy percent of all drylands, and onequarter of the total land area of the world. Erosion risk is significantly reduced when there is more than 30% soil cover. So, its important to learn how landsoil is being used, degraded, and conservedprotected. Preventing and managing erosion environment, land and. Land degradation is a process in which the value of the biophysical environment is affected by a combination of humaninduced processes acting upon the land.
Land degradation is the humaninduced loss of biodiversity. Preventing and remediating soil degradation recare. In the last four years, sgp has supported 909 communityled projects in 125. Knowledge gaps regarding soil degradation from soil threats, soil systems, and their interaction with human activities, as well as the biophysical, socioeconomic, and political factors that contribute to soil degradation. Read this article to learn about the meaning, factors responsible, prevention and control measures of land degradation. As soil erodes, it loses nutrients, clogs rivers with dirt, and eventually turns the area into a desert. Meeting the needs of everyone, especially our planet, when it comes to green transportation is so important, and among one of the best ways to combat environments degradation.
A study was conducted to identify the causes of land degradation. Land degradation is a global challenge that affects everybody through food insecurity and higher food prices, through climate change and environmental hazards, and through the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. It is advisable to focus on prevention, because attempts to rehabilitate desertified areas are costly and tend to deliver limited results. Land is an important natural resource, which provides food, fuel, fodder, and timber to us. It encompasses physical soil erosion, chemical salinity and alkalinity, pollution and biological. The three degradation terms, environmental degradation, land degradation, and soil degradation, are defined as any change or disturbance to the environment, land, or soil perceived to be. Land degradation can be defined in several ways depending upon the subject that needs to be emphasized. Due to its gradual and subtle nature, in the initial stages it can go unnoticed for long periods of time. Land degradation also called soil degradation is continuing to grow into a major problem in todays world. Land degradation, soil erosion and soil conservation pmf ias. What is forest degradation and what are various causes of. Land degradation and preventive measures from the perspective. Social issues such as low income, poverty and low level of welfare and education contribute to land degradation.
History, nature, causes, consequences, and solutions conacher, arthur encyclopedia of life support systems eolss peoples attitudes, perceptions and knowledge, actions or inactions by government agencies, and inappropriate government policies. What is forest degradation and what are various causes of it. However watershed management of degraded lands will not make farming a viable business unless the rest of the agricultural v alue chain is also. Degradation refers to damage or reduction in quality of certain features of the forests. Land degradation is the blanket term usually used to describe a number of land and soil degradation issues such as soil contamination, soil erosion, desertification, and more. Unfortunately, the land has been exploited and abused mercilessly from centuries resulting in the enhanced rate of land degradation. Thus, arthur and jeanette conacher defined land degradation as alterations to all aspects of the biophysical. Natural causes of land degradation are earth quakes, tsunamis, droughts, avalanche, landslides, mud flow, volcanic eruptions, flood tornado and wild fire. The best ways to prevent environmental degradation. Land thus covers climate and water resources, landform, soils and vegetation, including both grassland resources and forests fao, 1976.
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