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To help the oasification process, engineers aim to develop a thriving dense woody plant cover to redress the hydrological, edaphic and botanical degradation affecting a slope. This is done through appropriate soil preparation and the introduction of suitable plant species.
Biological diversity: soil degradation may involve perturbation of microbial communities, disappearance of the climax vegetation and decrease in animal habitat, thus leading to a biodiversity loss and animal extinction. [9] Economic loss: the estimated costs for land degradation are US$44 billion per year. Globally, the annual loss of 76 ...
desertification - the degradation of land in arid, semi arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various climatic variations, but primarily from human activities. detritivore (detritus feeder) - animals and plants that consume detritus (decomposing organic material), and in doing so contribute to decomposition and the recycling of nutrients.
Desertification is a gradual process of increased soil aridity.Desertification has been defined in the text of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) as "land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities."
Desertification: Human-led changes in land management practices lead to changes in the ecological characteristics of a region. Land mismanagement and climate change can lead to a loss of ecosystem services, such as through degradation of soil. [15] Together, these losses can result in desertification seen in arid and dry areas.
Soil compaction, also known as soil structure degradation, is the increase of bulk density or decrease in porosity of soil due to externally or internally applied loads. [1] Compaction can adversely affect nearly all physical, chemical and biological properties and functions of soil . [ 2 ]
The opposite effect is known as eutrophication or nutrient pollution. [6] Both depletion and eutrophication lead to shifts in biodiversity and species abundance (usually a decline). [7] The effects are bidirectional in that a shift in species composition in a habitat may also lead to shift in the nutrient composition. [8]
Land degradation is a human-induced or natural process which impairs the capacity of land to function. [222] Soil degradation involves acidification, contamination, desertification, erosion or salination. [223]