5.3 Soil degradation and conservation

Significant Ideas:

• Fertile soils require significant time to develop through the process of succession.

• Human activities may reduce soil fertility and increase soil erosion.

• Soil conservation strategies exist and may be used to preserve soil fertility and reduce soil erosion.

Knowledge and understanding:

1. Soil ecosystems change through succession. Fertile soil contains a community of organisms that work to maintain functioning nutrient cycles and that are resistant to soil erosion.

2. Human activities that can reduce soil fertility include deforestation, intensive grazing, urbanization and certain agricultural practices (such as irrigation and monoculture).

3. Commercial, industrialized food production systems generally tend to reduce soil fertility more than small-scale subsistence farming methods.

4. Reduced soil fertility may result in soil erosion, toxification, salinisation and desertification.

5. Soil conservation measures include soil conditioners (such as organic materials and lime), wind reduction techniques (wind breaks, shelter belts), cultivation techniques (terracing, contour ploughing, strip cultivation) and avoiding the use of marginal lands.