The annual loss of land is expected to go up to 10 million hectares by 2000 a. Drought, land degradation and desertification on one side and floods on the other are extreme happenings across the world which cause colossal destruction of plant, animal and human life to a. Because of the complex nature of land degradation processes it is essentially a geographical subject matt er. Thus, arthur and jeanette conacher defined land degradation as alterations to all aspects of the biophysical environment by human actions to the. 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. Smart solutions for land degradation adam koniuszewski.
This will create much drier soil, which in turn is more vulnerable to erosion and runoff. It may refer to the destruction or deterioration of the health of terrestrial ecosystems, thus affecting the associated biodiversity, natural ecological processes and ecosystem resilience. The following are the research question of the study. The magnitude and significance of impact on environment due to mining varies from mineral to mineral and also on the potential of the surrounding environment. Causes and impacts of land degradation and desertification. In mexico land degradation is an important factor in mexicos national economy impacting 65% of the national land area. Desertification, a phenomenon referring to land degradation in arid, semiarid and dry subhumid regions as a result of climatic variations and human activities, is considered as one of the most severe environmental and socioeconomic problems of recent times. Degrading the buffer zone of the drylands increases drylands vulnerability to. Borno state, nigeria abstract several studies have been carried out on the effects of mining on the environment, these have been.
The detrimental effects of mining on the environment at local, regional and global levels will continue to be a topic of public concern. Tillage effects on soil degradation, soil resilience, soil quality, and sustainability. Destruction of natural vegetation cover is a major factor responsible for erosion of soils by water and wind. Click on the title to browse this list of accepted articles. In this report, land degradation is defined as a negative trend 4 in land condition, caused by direct or indirect humaninduced processes including anthropogenic. Unesco eolss sample chapters water resources management vol. 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. Sapphire and other minerals such as corundum, zircon, ruby and garnet were the minerals mined in the. Extent and type of degraded land land degradation is a global issue for a number of reasons but most significantly because productive land is one of several resources where a reducing supply threatens our capacity to feed a growing world population estimated to be over 9.
Drought and desertification destroys 12 million hectares a year an area the size of greece and impacts 1. Due to the increased demand, the land usage has risen to record highs and in turn, this has led to increased levels of land degradation which is now a major problem that if not stopped will lead to increased flooding in over utilized lands and lead to loss of arable land in australia which is a scarce resource in australia, only 6% of the total. Conversion of agricultural land in nonagricultural uses is one of the main reasons to follow. The problem is most acute where the environment is intrinsically vulnerable and where the population is losing control of its own resources. Introduction the change in the characteristic and quality of soil which adversely affect its fertility is called as degradation. The experts disagree on how to define land degradation and associated processes such as desertification, but as an issue it is not difficult to understand. Land degradation occurs all over the world, but it is only referred to as desertification when it takes place in drylands. The result is a loss of land productivity with impacts on livelihoods and the. It is a complex process involving various causal factors, among which climate changes, land usecover changes and human dominated land management play a dominant role barbier 1997. It would not be wrong to say that rising human demands, as well as hunger, is also a major factor driving the environmental degradation. It is viewed as any change or disturbance to the land perceived to be deleterious or undesirable. Soil degradation is, in itself, an indicator of land degradation. What causes land degradation the predominant cause of land degradation in australia has been the permanent removal of native vegetation particularly in the wheatsheep and higher rainfall zones see map and the way this cleared land has been used. The main outcome of land degradation is a substantial reduction in the productivity of land.
At about 50 percent of the total land use, agriculture is one of the biggest uses of land on our. The changes in area of forest by region and subregion are shown in table 1. The importance of land degradation in calabar south is enhanced because of its impact on food security and quality of the environments. In india alone, about 188 million hectares or almost 57% of total land area is degraded sehgel and abrol, 1994.
Land degradation means a significant reduction of the productive capacity of land. The land degradation processes include soil erosion, nutrient depletion, salinization, desertification and soil acidification or alkalinisation. Land degradation is the major consequences of direct interference of human activities in the natural phenomenon. Causes, effects and control strategies 5 deforestation are maintained. The study was undertaken to examine the effect of land degradation on agricultural activities in ethiope east local government area of delta state. Land degradation can be viewed as any change or disturbance to the land perceived to be deleterious or undesirable eswaran, 2001. Thus, arthur and jeanette conacher defined land degradation as alterations to. Degradation of environment causes effects pollution. Furthermore, the main outcome of land degradation is a substantial reduction in the productivity of the land as shown in figure 2. A more specific definition states that land degradation is.
It is against this background that the study is designed to examine land degradation due to mining in gunda. Research has shown that up to 60% of agricultural land in calabar south is seriously degraded. The causes behind land degradation are related to the climate and human activities. Land degradation is a global phenomenon, with 78 percent of the degrading land taking place in the nondrylands. The soil integrates a variety of important processes involving vegetation growth, overland flow of water, infiltration, land use and land management. Abu sayeed during the last few years the agriculture sector is facing danger in many ways. Cause and effects of land degradation environmental. Cause and effects of land degradation environmental sciences. Assessment of land degradation status and its impact in. Desertification is land degradation occurring in arid, semiarid and dry subhumid areas of the world. Apr 17, 2020 click on the title to browse this list of accepted articles. Read this article to learn about the meaning, factors responsible, prevention and control measures of land degradation. A multistage random sampling technique was used to select six communities mostly affected by land degradation and a.
The condition of the soil is one of the best indicators of land degradation. The concept of land degradation as mentioned above, land degradation means much more than the degradation of the landsoil. These susceptible drylands cover 40 percent of the earths surface and puts at risk more than 1 billion people who are dependent on these lands for survival. The final edited and typeset version of record will appear in the future. History, nature, causes, consequences, and solutions conacher, arthur encyclopedia of life support systems eolss above. Forests play an important role in maintaining fertility of soil by shedding their leaves which contain many nutrients. While data is not precise, it is estimated that losses of nutrients and productivity in agricultural and grazing areas costs over. Land degradation can be considered in terms of the loss of actual or potential productivity or utility as a result of natural or anthropic factors. Environmental degradation can be a result of the dynamic interplay of socioeconomic, institutional and technological activities carried out by the human.
Land degradation is a process in which the value of the physical environment is affected by a. Disturbance events such as fire, droughts, or land use changes are events taking place out of the range of natural variability of the ecosystems rykiel, 1985. Multiple linear regressions was deployed for this work in order to know the relationship between the anthropogenic factors of land degradation on crop productivity of rural households. Land degradation causes losses to agricultural productivity in many parts of the world. The causes of dry land degradation are complex, and may be the product of anthropogenic or climatic factors, such as the impact of drought and desiccation on ecosystems, the overgrazing of these rangelands, unsustainable landtenure rights, the undervaluation of land resources, and pricing failures, and numerous other social and economic. The major causes of land degradation include, land clearance poor farming practices, overgrazing, inappropriate. Global climate changes may contribute to accelerate land degradation processes but, obviously, to a lesser degree than the effects of land use changes. According to global assessment of soil degradation glasod, deforestation is the main cause of soil erosion by wind in about 98% of the area. Of the total, 25% of land area is highly degraded, 8% moderately or slightly degraded, 36% stable and 10% improving faostate of the worlds land and water resources for food and agriculture. Finally, we estimate the costs of land degradation in china and compare them with the costs of inaction. Land degradation refers to a change in soil health condition that causes a reduction in the ecosystems ability to provide goods and services for its beneficiaries barrow, 1991. This is because these areas are especially prone to more permanent damage as different areas of degraded land spread and merge together to form desertlike conditions. Drought, land degradation and desertification on one side and floods on the other are extreme happenings across the world which cause colossal destruction of plant, animal and human life to.
Land degradation is one of the great challenges of the 21st century. The gunda scenario rejoice paul mbaya m sc, pgde, b sc, department of geography, kashim ibrahim college of education maiduguri. Land degradation is the most important environmental problem currently challenging sustainable development in many parts of the world. Background information land degradation in australia. Made by aunj raut krishna sashank land degredation 2.
In the context of productivity, land degradation results from a mismatch between land quality and land use beinroth et al. Increase in demand for goods and resources has led to land degradation. While the direct cause of land degradation is mismanagement. In turn, unsustainable land use is driving land degradation. Soil erosion is a natural process that removes soil from the land. Land degradation in arid, semiarid and dry subhumid areas as a basic result of adverse human conduct. The main reasons for unproductiveness or degradation of soils are as follows. Land degradation is a change to land that makes it less useful for human beings. A case study on keyain village of munshigonj district. 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 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. 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. Land degradation occurs when the economic and biological productivity of land is lost, primarily through human activities. Land is a vital resource to humankind, like air and water.
All of these factors will combine to create a very stable but very unproductive desert environment. It is also defined as the loss of soil production by either chemical or physical. 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 scientific and technical. Oct 07, 2017 the ecosystems services that the land provides are at breaking point. Loss of natural fertility of soil because of loss of nutrients. Jun 01, 2016 the following are many of the major causes of land degradation that have led to problems for our earth. Environmental degradation, to a large scale, is the result of market failure, namely the nonexistent or poorly functioning markets for environmental goods and services. Pollution of water resources from the contamination of. Final submission land degradation in the limpopo province 2 c. In this unique situation, environmental degradation is a specific instance of utilization or generation externalities reflected by uniqueness amongst private and social. The direct cause of land degradation is mismanagement of the land by man. However, if acted upon quickly, there is a possibility for land reclamation and reversal of desertification.
Land degradation can be defined in several ways depending upon the subject that needs to be emphasized. 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. Land degradation is defined as the temporary or permanent decline in the productive capacity of the land, and the diminution of the productive potential, including its major land uses e. While dramatic vegetation changes occurred during the. The process works through a cycle known as land degradation cycle. Nine main causes of land degradation are as follows. A general definition of land degradation is presented by wasson 1987 as. Erosioncrop productivity relationships for soils of africa. These are the accepted, unedited articles published online and citable. The global problem of land degradation and desertification.
Deforestation causes fast degradation when the soil is steep sloppy or easily erodible. Economics of land degradation in china springerlink. The map of the study area is presented on the next page. Desertification has been defined as land degradation in arid, semiarid, and dry subhumid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities11. While land degradation can occur as a result of natural processes, there is a widespread opinion that it mostly happens as a result of the impact of users activity on the land and is often a social problem, which can be prevented if the underlying causes are addressed properly vlek et al. The causes, types and effects of land degradation are addressed in the next paragraphs. As you read on, consider what ways humanity can do things differently to reverse this land degradation. Land degradation involves change in the properties of land and soil texture, color, grain size and its functions water holding capacity, infiltration, supporting plant life. In this paper, land degradation will be discussed from the perspective of physical geography. Cause of land degradation and its impacts on livelihoods of. The change in the characteristic and quality of soil which adversely affect its fertility is called as degradation.
Forests are also helpful in binding up of soil particles with the help of roots of vegetation. Cause of land degradation and its impacts on livelihoods. 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 the most important environmental problem curr. The emphasis on land, rather than soil, broadens the focus to include natural resources, such as.
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