Effects of deforestation on soil erosion pdf

Land degradation, soil erosion and soil conservation pmf ias. This natural process is caused by the dynamic activity of erosive agents, that is, water, ice glaciers, snow, air wind, plants, animals, and humans. Pdf many studies confirm the relationships between deforestation, agriculture and soil erosion. When the grasses are removed, the soil becomes loose and susceptible to the action of wind and water. Soil erosion is the weathering away of topsoil caused by water, wind or tillage. Gully erosion is also caused by farming and uncontrolled grazing practises when a farmland is continuously tilled or grazed without a break, it breaks up soil and softens the overall structure thus reducing the organic matter content of the soil, which eventually allows the soil to become susceptible to the effects of rain and running water. Dec 04, 2017 the effects of deforestation range from standard environmental like changes in the atmosphere and biodiversity, to economical impacts. Deforestation effects on soil properties, runoff and erosion. Deforestation causes of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Hence, the objectives of this study are to compare selected soil properties, runoff amount, erosion and also introducing equations to predict the runoff.

However, when earthquakes occur, massive amounts of soil, including crops and forests are a. Soil erosion occurs when soil is removed through the action of wind and water at a greater rate than it is formed soil the soil covering the surface of the earth has taken millions of years to form and we must learn to respect it. A simple portable rainfall simulator has been set in 90 random. Deforestation and land degradation on the ethiopian. Its effects can be seen directly in the location where erosion takes place, known as onsite effects, and at the site where the eroded soil deposits offsite. Deforestation generally increases rates of soil loss, by increasing the amount of runoff and reducing the protection of the soil from tree litter.

Deforestation is more extreme in tropical and subtropical forests in emerging economies. Deforestation also leads to desertification in plains and landslides in hilly areas. Deforested regions typically incur significant other environmental effects such as adverse soil erosion and degradation into wasteland. In nasarawa state for instance, escalated soil erosion, flooding, increase in aridity, all of which have strong relationship with deforestation, have affected a significant proportion of the state.

Quantification of soil quality changes following deforestation by measurable soil attributes is important to sustainable management of soil and water conservation. Deforestation effects on soil physical and chemical properties. Deforestation causes a decrease in organic nitrogen in an area. This study aimed at assessing the status of land cover and land use lclu in the lake kivu basin, and its related impacts in terms of soil erosion by water using the universal soil erosion equation usle model. Deforestation, accelerated soil erosion, and land degradation are serious problems in ethiopia.

This study aimed at assessing the status of land cover and land use lclu in the lake kivu basin, and its related impacts in terms of soil erosion by water using the universal soil erosion equation usle. Major causes and effects of soil erosion on the environment. Causes, effects and control strategies 5 deforestation are maintained. Problem statement ethiopian agriculture and the livelihoods of rural community have been affected by land degradation the major drivers of which are soil erosion and deforestation. Deforestation is not simply the harvesting of trees. Soil quality degradation processes along a deforestation. Effects include land degradation, soil erosion and sterility, and a loss of biodiversity, with huge economic costs for nations where deserts are growing. Atmospheric for global warming deforestation is the major contributor. Soil erosion is a natural process which has increasingly been. The agricultural plants that often replace the trees cannot hold onto the. Cutting down on trees leads to clearance of forests and so soil erosion occurs. Soil erosion due to rainforest deforestation sciencing. May 01, 2019 land degradation soil degradation is the decline in soil quality caused by its improper use, usually for agricultural, pastoral, industrial or urban purposes.

Deforestation and natural grassland conversion to agricultural land use constitute a major threat to soil and water conservation. Soil erosion is a process that involves the wearing away of the topsoil. Agriculture is one of the primary drivers of deforestation both in modern times and in ancient times. To overcome these problems, efforts have been made to launch afforestation and conservation programs. Pesticides and other chemicals can get trapped in soil, polluting streams and rivers as the soil breaks apart. Deforestation is the permanent removal of trees to make room for something besides forest. The chipko movement has a multipoint programme to stop the deforestation process. Pdf deforestation effects on soil properties, runoff and. Nutrients evaporate and it affects the bacteria that help to break down organic matter. Dec, 2012 deforestation effects, causes, and examples. Soil erosion can be a slow process that continues relatively unnoticed or can occur at an alarming rate, causing serious loss of topsoil. The top soil is lost by erosion which is the most fertile section, having evolved over centuries of soil forming processes.

Pdf the growth of human settlements into vast urban metropolitan areas is often accompanied by relatively higher temperatures in. The disturbance in hydrological cycle due to reduction in. Deforestation and land degradation on the ethiopian highlands. As the concentration of carbon dioxide increases, a layer forms in the atmosphere that traps sun radiation. The effects of deforestation range from standard environmental like changes in the atmosphere and biodiversity, to economical impacts. According to fao, deforestation is the conversion of. The most concentrated deforestation occurs in tropical rainforests.

Soil erosion can also lead to mudslides and floods, negatively affecting the structural integrity of buildings and roadways. Nitrate production will slow on site and this can negatively impact plant growth. As much as soil erosion is a natural process, it is accelerated by deforestation. The effects of soil erosion can be felt both onsite, meaning at the site of soil disruption, or offsite, meaning the location where the eroded soil deposits. This results in destruction of natural ecosystems and consequently loss of soil quality for crop. There are several effects of deforestation on earths climate and nature. Deforestation definition, causes, effects, and control. Deforestation effects on soil erosion in the lake kivu. Impacts of deforestation and land cover change on mountain soils. In undisturbed forests, the soil is protected by layers of humus and leaf litter. When the trees are cut down, it means the soil is barely left to be washed or blown away leading to stunted growth of. More than half of all plant and land animal species in the world live in tropical forests. Deforestation can be defined as the largescale removal of trees from forests or other lands for the facilitation of human activities.

Silting of water courses, lakes and dams this occurs as a result of soil erosion. Environmental effects of deforestation from below soil erosion and flooding. The increase of mining on tropical forests is furthering. Without trees to anchor fertile soil, erosion can occur and sweep the land into rivers. Hence, the objectives of this study are to compare selected soil properties, runoff amount, erosion and also introducing equations to predict the runoff and soil erosion in three types of land use forest, garden and cultivated. Soil degradation is a narrower term, and one form of land degradation, for declining soil quality, encompassing the deterioration in physical, chemical and biological attributes of the soil 11. In addition to erosion, soil quality is affected by other aspects of agriculture. The barren land which is left behind in the wake of these unsustainable agricultural practices is then more susceptible to. The topsoil is lost by erosion which is the most fertile section, having evolved over centuries of soilforming processes. Thus crop yields decline and the people must spend income to import foreign fertilizers or clear additional forest. The vast oldgrowth forests that once covered much of the world have largely been cut and burned down because of agriculture. Congorwanda fidele karamage 1,2,3, hua shao 1, xi chen 1, felix ndayisaba 1,2,3, lamek nahayo 1,2,3, alphonse kayiranga 1,2,3, james kehinde omifolaji 1,2, tong liu 4 and chi zhang 1 1 xinjiang institute of ecology and geography, chinese academy of sciences, urumqi 830011, china.

These layers absorb the impact of raindrops and form a protective mat over the soil. Improper cultivation practices are seriously degrading native forest ecosystems in northern iran. Impact of deforestation on soil fertility, soil carbon and. We determine the effect of deforestation on soil fertility, soil carbon and nitrogen stocks and hypothesize that tropical forests and agroforestry have similar characteristics, in contrast to the deforested areas used as cropland. Deforestation has many negative effects on the environment. Sheet erosion it is the uniform removal of soil in thin layers from the land surface caused by the wind. One way to expand the croplands is clear cutting the forests. Deforestation effects on soil erosion in the lake kivu basin. About 31% of earths land surface is covered by forests. This can include clearing the land for agriculture or grazing, or using the timber for fuel, construction. Historical causes of deforestation while we are just now realizing the harmful effects that deforestation is having, the destruction of the forests has been going on since the dawn of man. Deforestation, clearance, clearcutting or clearing is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land which is then converted to a nonforest use. Effects of deforestation uprooting the roots of human. In addition to their previously mentioned roles, trees also function to retain water and topsoil, which provides the rich nutrients to sustain additional forest life.

The vegetation cover on runoff and soil erosion, we preferred to soil depth is more than 1. By removing the trees, the soil is no longer protected and will dry out, which in. Article deforestation effects on soil erosion in the lake kivu basin, d. A study was initiated in 1994 to evaluate the effects of deforestation on physical and chemical properties of soils under oak quercus brontii forests in lordegan region of central zagrous mountain, iran.

Forest areas affected by landslides and soil erosion, as well as forest areas that are crucial for conservation of water resources, should be identified and conserved. Loss of arable land arable land is any land that can be used to grow crops. The loss of trees, which anchor the soil with their roots, causes widespread erosion throughout the tropics. It encompasses physical soil erosion, chemical salinity and alkalinity, pollution and biological deterioration pollution and. Deforestation and land cover change were found to increase erosion rates. The roots of the trees anchor the soil and acts as natural blockades to stormwater runoff.

Only a minority of areas have good soils, which after clearing are quickly washed away by the heavy rains. Icecsen386812 the effect of deforestation on soil erosion, sediment and some water quality indicates mojtaba zeraatpishe1 yones khaledian2, sohaila. Soil erosion with the loss of a protective cover of vegetation more soil is lost. These impacts include compaction, loss of soil structure, nutrient degradation, and soil salinity. Erosion is extremely costly for developing countries. Its 17 chapters, organized in three sections, refer to deforestation impacts on climate, soil, biodiversity and human population, but also describe several initiatives to prevent it. Logging roads leave deep tire marks that erode at an accelerated pace and deposit a high volume of sediment into streams and rivers. Deforestation effects on soil physical and chemical.

In a normal forest ecosystem, the forest will regenerate given enough time. Assessing soil erosion although soil erosion has been taking place very slowly in natural. Do soil erosion and deforestation affect the income of farmers thereby threatening their livelihoods. Aug 24, 2018 effects of soil erosion on the environment soil erosion is an ongoing process that affects each site in a slightly different way. If theyre not reforested, they inevitably end up as wastelands directly from soil erosion and desertification. Soil erosion is the displacement of the upper layer of soil, it is one form of soil degradation.

The changes in area of forest by region and subregion are shown in table 1. It is usually identified with the complete annihilation of the forest ecosystem. The loss of trees can cause climate change, desertification, soil erosion, fewer crops, flooding, increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and a host of problems for people. Effects of soil erosion on the environment soil erosion is an ongoing process that affects each site in a slightly different way. Soil compaction, low organic matter, loss of soil structure, poor internal drainage, salinisation and soil acidity problems are other serious soil degradation conditions that can accelerate the soil erosion. 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. The effect of deforestation on soil erosion, sediment and some water quality indicators conference paper pdf available february 20 with 6,016 reads how we measure reads. Basic concepts of deforestation, degradation, and fragmentation 2. It is a serious environmental concern since it can result in the loss of biodiversity, damage to natural habitats, disturbances in the water cycle, and soil erosion. Pdf effects of deforestation on land degradation researchgate. The most common human activities that increase soil erosion are described below. The effect of deforestation on soil erosion, sediment and some water quality indicators. Devastating effects of deforestation earth eclipse. Without them, the soil erodes and washes away, causing farmers to move on and perpetuate the cycle.

Due to overgrazing by cattle, the cover of vegetation almost gets removed from the land. Deforestation effects on soil properties, runoff and. Many studies confirm the relationships between deforestation, agriculture and soil erosion. In turn, this causes dryer soil and the inability to grow crops, an ironic twist when considered against the fact that 80% of deforestation comes from smallscale agriculture and cattle ranching. Recommendations based on the research affirm the necessity to undertake largescale natural. Besides the damage to infrastructure, fisheries, and property, erosion of precious topsoils costs tens of billions of dollars worldwide each year.

Soil degradation is a serious global environmental problem and may be exacerbated by climate change. The erosion due to the impact of falling raindrops on soil surface leading to the destruction of the crumb structure is known as the raindrop or splash erosion. Forests protect the soil from the sun and keep it moist. Gully erosion, definition, causes, effects and prevention. Logging companies can compound the effects of deforestation and erosion on the ecosystem when heavy logging trucks compact already thin soil and prevent new plant growth.

Exposure of the soil to the suns heat dries up the moisture inside the soil. Half of the topsoil on the planet has been lost in the last 150 years. Effects of soil erosion on biodiversity greentumble. Land degradation soil degradation is the decline in soil quality caused by its improper use, usually for agricultural, pastoral, industrial or urban purposes. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. In accordance with these agents, erosion is sometimes divided into water erosion, glacial. It elevates the problem of soil erosion and loss of fertility in soil which further onsets the problem in agricultural production. The process involves the loosening of the soil particles, blowing or washing away of the soil particles, and either ends up in the valley and faraway lands or washed away to the oceans by rivers and streams. The soil becomes exposed and gets eroded by the action of strong wind, rainfall etc. This paper will discuss agriculture and forestry practices on the ethiopian highlands and try to identify. Soil erosion is the process that erodes, breaks or gradually diminishes things down. The process of erosion usually takes place on the surface of soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the earths crust and with the help of the wind or water flow, it gets to settle down at another location. Deforestation has even been caused by extensive warthroughout history fire has often been used to deprive the enemy of necessary resources. Soil erosion can be another effect of deforestation.