Land degradation food and agriculture organization of the united. Unesco eolss sample chapters water resources management vol. The process works through a cycle known as land degradation cycle. Land degradation as the land use section earlier in this chapter shows, demands on the land for economic development and pressures from a burgeoning population are leading to unprecedented land use change. 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.
Degradation of natural resources causes, facts and its. Causes and impacts of land degradation and desertification. Land degradation intruduction 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. The condition of the soil is one of the best indicators of land degradation. This short writeup is to outline some information about jpg images and editing these image files optimally. It causes land degradation through huge loss of top fertile soil along with plant nutrients through runoff water. Background information land degradation in australia. Both extent and severity of the problem of land degradation spatial variations depending on different relief, ecology, rainfall, land use, land cover and soil types being as proximate and underlying causes. Degradation of natural resources is one of the subjects of prime concern that the world is facing today. Land degradation is the major consequences of direct interference of human activities in the natural phenomenon. The result is a loss of land productivity with impacts on livelihoods and.
The change in the characteristic and quality of soil which adversely affect its fertility is called as degradation. Land degradation in arid, semiarid and dry subhumid areas as a basic result of adverse human conduct. All these have raised a question mark on the availability of natural resources. In this report, land degradation is defined as a negative trend 4 in land condition, caused by direct or indirect humaninduced processes including anthropogenic. Soil erosion is a natural process that removes soil from the land. Stocking and murnaghan demonstrate these by using indicators that are relevant and applicable to real farming situations. Soil quality decline is one of the main causes of land degradation and is considered to be responsible for 84% of the ever diminishing acreage. The causes of rangeland degradation in many developing countries are complex, but we stress that it can be both a cause and a result of open conflicts. Along the way toward this end youll learn how this image compression method converts color photos into those smaller image files. Overgrazing refers to excessive eating of grasses and other green plants by cattle. Tillage effects on soil degradation, soil resilience, soil quality, and sustainability. Globally, about 24% of the global land area has been affected by degradation and over 1.
Abu sayeed during the last few years the agriculture sector is facing danger in many ways. A case study on keyain village of munshigonj district. White paper i economic and social impacts of desertification, land degradation and drought united nations convention to combat desertification 912 april 20 bonn, germany. The impacts of land degradation and desertification include a reduction in crop. Indeed some 31 countries do not even make the list because they have already removed most of their forests and even if that remain are seriously fragmented and degraded.
The map of the study area is presented on the next page. It is viewed as any change or disturbance to the land perceived to be deleterious or undesirable. Thus, arthur and jeanette conacher defined land degradation as alterations to all aspects of the biophysical. Land degradation can be viewed as any change or disturbance to the land perceived to be deleterious or undesirable eswaran, 2001. Land degradationthe deterioration or loss of the productive capacity of the soils for present and futureis a global challenge that affects everyone through food insecurity, higher food prices, climate change, environmental hazards, and the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
The terms of reference for this study are to provide gefstap with. Land is probably the most used natural resource in the world. Conversion of agricultural land in nonagricultural uses is one of the main reasons to follow. The changes in area of forest by region and subregion are shown in table 1. Learn about the uses of rangeland and the potential for rangeland degradation. Land degradation is, usually, the result of complex. Degradation of environment causes effects pollution. Pdf land degradation control and its global environmental. Erosioncrop productivity relationships for soils of africa. Year after year, huge acres of land lost due to soil erosion, contamination and pollution. This practical handbook sets out rapid and nontechnical methods for measuring and assessing land degradation in the field.
Human health is heavily impacted by environmental degradation. The truth is that the present maninduced or anthropogenic factors are causing many times more damages to the environment than their natural counterpart. It results into reduced growth of vegetation, reduced diversity of plant species, excessive growth of unwanted plant species, soil erosion, and degradation of land due to cattle movement. The soil integrates a variety of important processes involving vegetation growth, overland flow of water, infiltration, land use and land management. Answers to answers to preventative measures can often be found within the causes of land degradation.
The areal extent of global degraded areas varies depending on the definitions eswaran et al. The following is a list of the most cited articles based on citations published in the last three years, according to crossref. It reduces the depth of soil where it takes place, depletes the ground water table, limits the moisture storage capacity and feeding zones of the crops, deteriorates the soil organic matter, destroys soil structure and impairs fertility due to nutrient losses. Cause and effects of land degradation environmental. Land is a vital resource to humankind, like air and water. What are causes and effects of environmental degradation. Read this article to learn about the meaning, factors responsible, prevention and control measures of land degradation. Looking back into the past we find that the use of fire by the prehistoric people is the initiation of maninduced environmental degradation. Still land degradation lingers and presents the greatest threat to the survival of the nation d. Desertification has been defined as land degradation in arid, semiarid, and dry subhumid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities11. Reduction in water quality is responsible for more than two million deaths and billions of illness annually across the globe. According to global assessment of soil degradation glasod, deforestation is the main cause of soil erosion by wind in about 98% of the area.
Final submission land degradation in the limpopo province 2 c. White paper i university of nairobi personal websites. The study was undertaken to examine the effect of land degradation on agricultural activities in ethiope east local government area of delta state. However, these studies have been few and isolated and it is interesting to note that until recently, there has been very little in. The use of customary slm practices, both in forested areas and in agricultural and pastoral regions, officially supported by government programmes and by local community participation, as well as regulatory frameworks, have the potential to reduce the causes and effects of land degradation processes, and therefore contribute to znld. Many human activities are leads to land degradation. Deforestation causes fast degradation when the soil is steep sloppy or easily erodible. The extent of degradation in developing countries is difficult to quantify because of the lack of monitoring, but certainly, concern exists that the human population is exerting significant. A synthesis of three studies commissioned by the global environment facility to strengthen the knowledge base to support the land degradation focal area prepared by the. A multistage random sampling technique was used to select six communities mostly affected by land degradation and a total of sixty respondents farmers was use for the study. It is shown that if sediment load is to be reduced then efficient tools must be used to identify and treat the areas where sediment production is greatest. Tools and techniques for measuring sediment delivery for large scale areas affecting. Land degradation is a process in which the value of the physical environment is affected by a. Restoring rangelands and sustainable land management practices.
Using a comprehensive analysis to determine the extent, degree, and drivers of soil degradation, oldeman et al. Extent and rate of land degradation global assessment of land degradation is not an easy task, and a wide range of methods are used, including expert judgement, remote sensing and modeling. Destruction of natural vegetation cover is a major factor responsible for erosion of soils by water and wind. The causes, types and effects of land degradation are addressed in the next paragraphs. Degradation in gef3 20022006, looking towards more evidencebased implementation based upon good science in gef4 20062010. The range home, home on the range where the deer and the antelope play. There are very, very few places on land that humans havent yet used in some way for our activities directly or indirectly. Soil science society of america journal, 59, 661667. Environmental degradation can be a result of the dynamic interplay of socioeconomic, institutional and technological activities carried out by the human. Soil degradation is, in itself, an indicator of land degradation. The term desertification has in the meantime been broadened to almost all forms of land degradation and is even used to include resource degradation in humid areas. The increasing human population has given birth to the evils like the increase in pollution levels, deforestation, excessive use of nonrenewable resources, etc. It would not be wrong to say that rising human demands, as well as hunger, is also a major factor driving the environmental degradation. We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to, in particular, the governments of germany.
A basic introduction to preventing jpg image degradation. The land degradation processes include soil erosion, nutrient depletion, salinization, desertification and soil acidification or alkalinisation. The main outcome of land degradation is a substantial reduction in the productivity of land. The importance of land degradation in calabar south is enhanced because of its impact on food security and quality of the environments. Among the variety of uses, the ones that top the list in terms of extent and intensity are agriculture and urban development. Axle load and tillage effects on soil degradation and rehabilitation in. In turn, unsustainable land use is driving land degradation. History, nature, causes, consequences, and solutions conacher, arthur encyclopedia of life support systems eolss above. Cause of land degradation and its impacts on livelihoods. Mitigate the causes and negative effects of land degradation on the. Causes, effects and control strategies 5 deforestation are maintained.
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