Conserving Land and Soil

1
Conserving Land and Soil
2
Land Use

• People use land in many ways
• Three ways that change the land are agriculture,
  mining and development

3
Agriculture

• Land is source of most food-plant and animal
• Farms are created by clearing forests, draining
  wetlands and irrigating deserts

4
Mining

• Mining is the removal of nonrenewable resources
  from the land

5
Strip mining

• Resources just below the surface are striped
  mined
• Strip mining Remove strips of the land to obtain
  minerals then replacing the strips

6
Strip mining

• Strip mining exposes the land to erosion
• May remain barren for years

7
Underground Mining

• Underground mining is for resources located deep
  underground.
• Used tunnels and shafts

8
Development

• Development Construction of building, roads,
  bridges, dams and other structures

9
Development

• Reduces the amount of farmland
• Destroys wildlife habitats

10
Soil Management

• Poor soil managements can result in erosion,
  nutrient depletion and desertfication

11
Erosion

• Erosion the process by which water, wind, ice
  moves particles of rocks or soil

12
Erosion

• Plant and tree roots hold soil in place which
  reduces erosion
• Farming, mining, logging expose soil and increase
  erosion

13
Nutrient Depletion

• Nutrient Depletion when soil becomes less fertile

14
Nutrient Depletion

• When the same plant is farmed each year the crop
  may use more nutrients then the decomposers can
  supply

15
Fertilizers

• When soils are depleted, farmers use fertilizers
• Fertilizers nutrients added to help crops grow
  better

16
Soil Management

• Farmers can
• Leave fields unplanted
• Decomposition of unused parts
• Rotate crops

17
Desertification

• Desertification The advance of desert-like
  conditions into areas that previously were fertile

18
Desertification

• One cause of desertification is drought
• Drought a period when less rain than normal
  falls in the area

19
Desertification

• Overgrazing leaves soil exposed which can cause
  desertification

20
Desertification

• Cause serious problems
• Cant grow crops
• Livestock cant graze
• Famine, starvation

21
Land Reclamation

• Land reclamationThe process of restoring an area
  of land to a more natural, productive state