Land Degradation

Land Degradation

Executive Summary

Land degradation processes are characterized by the deterioration of land quality, in terms of its ability to withstand functionally a selected land use and associated fauna and flora. Desertification can be considered as an extreme state of land degradation, losing this, much of its natural productivity. Land degradation is usually associated with little vegetation or low biodiversity (Ravi et al., 2010). When the soil becomes more subject to erosion likelihood of vegetation decreases grow back in a positive feedback loop. Generally, the extremes are associated with regional trends and climate, which can threaten large areas. Some areas are more sensitive to degradation than others. This paper demonstrates the root cause and possible consequences of land degradation along with the possible solution.

Root Causes

The status of land degradation in this area highlights a mutual responsibility of the physical and human action in a global process and heavy destruction and depletion of soils, resulting from accentuate the effectiveness of the phenomenon of erosion, which results in the final loss soil fertility and biodiversity. Human pressure on natural resources (soil, vegetation and water) due to agriculture has been increasing over time and was highest in the early to mid-twentieth century, which resulted in the current high degree of degradation the earth.

The impact of human action was being increasingly sharp and negative, through the exercise of the primary activity on a large scale, which benefited greatly from technology brought about by the Industrial Revolution English (simple plows and farm machinery) and later by the application engine internal explosion (tractors, agricultural machinery), making for more efficient mobilization of soil and allowing more extensive farming practices (Vogt et al., 2011). During consecutive decades farming was encouraged, by various policy measures (protectionist laws of wheat at the end of the nineteenth century, the Wheat Campaign ...