Ask a Teacher

Search



Explain land degradation and give reasons for land degradation.
Land degradation is a process in which the value of the biophysical environment is affected by one or more combination of human-induced processes acting upon the land.

    The causes of land degradation are:-
    a.Land clearance, such as clearcutting and deforestation
    b.Agricultural depletion of soil nutrients through poor farming practices
    c.Livestock including overgrazing and overdrafting
    d.Inappropriate irrigation and overdrafting
    e.Urban sprawl and commercial development
    f.Soil contamination
    g.Vehicle off-roading
    h.Quarrying of stone, sand, ore and minerals
    i.Increase in field size due to economies of scale, reducing shelter for wildlife, as hedgerows and copses disappear
    j.Exposure of naked soil after harvesting by heavy equipment
    k.Monoculture, destabilizing the local ecosystem
    l.Dumping of non-biodegradable trash, such as plastics


comments powered by Disqus