Land degradation impacts on the environment

What are the adverse effects of land degradation. One of the major processes that causes l and degradation is soil degradation that can consist of loss of topsoil caused by wind.

Surface Runoff and Floods.

Land degradation impacts on the environment. 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. Land degradation is happening at an alarming pace contributing. The environmental consequences of land degradation are vast including amplified soil losses water quality deterioration biodiversity decline and degradation of ecosystem services and corresponding values especially if actual land uses disrespect capability natural use in which cases land is in a state of environmental conflict.

The consequences of land degradation are also both local and global. For instance there is a complex interaction between degradation poverty conflict and the migration. Land degradation therefore has potentially impacts on lakes and reservoirs that are designed to alleviate flooding provide irrigation and generate Hydro-Power.

In summary land degradation includes soil erosion salinization soil acidification or akalinisation and desertification. What are the adverse effects of land degradation. Surface Runoff and Floods.

Most of the soil is lost through the surface runoff. Let us find out what surface runoff. Desertification is a problem generally associated with arid lands of the country.

The land degradation measure suggests that we have lost 63 trillion per year of ecosystem service value to impaired ecosystem function. Agriculture amounts to 28 of global GDP. With global GDP standing at 63 trillion in 2010 all of agriculture represents 17 Trillion of the worlds GDP.

Environmental degradation can alters some of the natural process such as the water cycle and the normal processes of animal and plant activities. Also environmental degradation aspects such as deforestation and mining destroy the natural land cover. This together with air water and land pollution pose several atmospheric alteration threats.

Degradation occurs when earths natural resources are depleted. The resources which are affected include water air and soil. The degradation also impacts our wildlife plants animals and micro-organisms.

Our land water and soil are compromised when people exhaust resources or release harmful chemicals into the air. Land degradation reduces land productivity and increases the workload of managing the 42 land affecting women disproportionally in some regions. Land degradation and climate change act as.

Land-use change and habitat fragmentation and degradation threaten ecosystems and resilience. Land clearing is a fundamental pressure on the environment. It causes the loss fragmentation and degradation of native vegetation and a variety of impacts on our soils eg.

Erosion and loss of nutrients waterways and coastal regions eg. 11 Impact of land degradation on productivity Land degradation is here defined as the decline in biophysical functions of a tract of land. This loss can affect productivity and biodiversity and is thus defined as a permanent loss of the original functions.

One of the major processes that causes l and degradation is soil degradation that can consist of loss of topsoil caused by wind. Typology of Global Impacts of Land Degradation Global impacts of land degradation can be classified in several ways by the environmental system affected. By impact on ecosystem service.

By type of LD process. By production systemeco-region impacted on or. Land degradation is usually the result of complex inter-relationships between biophysical and socio-economic issues which affect many people and their land specially in the tropics and developing countries.

The term land degradation involves both soil and vegetation degradation. Soil degradation refers to negative changes in the physical. Land degradation refers to a temporary or permanent decline in the productive capacity ofthe land2 or its potential for environmental management3Land improvement is an increase in this productive potential Table I.

Net productivity change reflects both natural- and human-induced processes of degradation and im provement. Let us check what environmental degradation is its causes and effects. Effects focus on atmosphere human health and natureEnvironmental degradation means reduction in the quality of the environment due to man made and natural factors.

The resources get depleted and the quality of air water and soil diminishes. Land degradation is a process in which the value of the biophysical environment is affected by a combination of human-induced processes acting upon the land. It is viewed as any change or disturbance to the land perceived to be deleterious or undesirable.

Natural hazards are excluded as a cause. However human activities can indirectly affect phenomena such as floods and bush fires.