Environmental Studies(ES)

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Lesson 7: Land resources

Land degradation

It can be defined as any change in the land that reduces its condition or quality and hence its productivity or productive potential. It occurs whenever the natural balances in the landscape are changed by human activity, through misuse or overuse. The major land degradation problems are:

• Wind erosion
  
• Water erosion including mass movement of hill slopes
  
• Dry land salinity
  
• Irrigation-induced salinity
  
• Soil surface scalding
  
• Water logging
  
• Soil acidity
  
• Soil structure decline
  
• Soil fertility decline or nutrient loss
  
• Vegetation decline and degradation, such as weed infestation and lack of it
  
• Tree regeneration
  
• Loss of flora and fauna and hence of biodiversity