Effects of land use changes and soil conservation intervention on soil properties as indicators for land degradation under a Mediterranean climate

Abstract

Abstract. Land degradation resulting from improper land use and management is a major cause of declined productivity in the arid environment. The objectives of this study were to examine the effects of a sequence of land use changes, soil conservation measures, and the time since their implementation on the degradation of selected soil properties. The climate for the selected 105 km 2 watershed varies from semi-arid sub-tropical to Mediterranean sub-humid. Land use changes were detected using aerial photographs acquired in 1953, 1978, and 2008. A total of 218 samples were collected from 40 sites in three different rainfall zones to represent different land use changes and variable lengths of time since the construction of stone walls. Analyses of variance were used to test the differences between the sequences of land use changes (interchangeable sequences of forest, orchards, field crops, and range), the time since the implementation of soil conservation measures, rainfall on the thickness of the A-horizon, soil organic carbon content, and texture. Soil organic carbon reacts actively with different combinations and sequences of land use changes. The time since stone walls were constructed showed significant impacts on soil organic carbon and the thickness of the surface horizon. The effects of changing the land use and whether the changes were associated with the construction of stone walls varied according to the annual rainfall. The changes in soil properties could be used as indicators of land degradation and to assess the impact of soil conservation programs. The results help in understanding the effects of land use changes on land degradation processes and carbon sequestration potential and in formulating sound soil conservation plans.

sUAS and their application in observing geomorphological processes

“…There is a need for research that will contribute to sustainable soil management (Bisantino et al, 2015;Mekonnen et al, 2015;Ndah et al, 2015;Wildemeersch et al, 2015) and that will assist policy makers in finding a way to apply the findings and achieve the sustainability . The use of remote sensing is today a key strategy to research the soil and the soil processes (Aucelli et al, 2016;Holleran et al, 2015;Kaiser et al, 2015;Van Eck et al, 2016).…”

Assessment and monitoring of land degradation using geospatial technology in Bathinda district, Punjab, India

“…The settlement expansion on agricultural and forest land is affecting humans by exposing forest ecosystems and having negative impacts of habitat destruction within the forest ecosystem (Stimson et al, 2005). Inappropriate land use is regarded as one of the chief agents of land degradation, which has been previously observed by various researchers (Biro et al, 2013;De Souza et al, 2013;Pallavicini et al, 2015;Mohawesh et al, 2015). However, since settlements and barren land exhibit similar spectral reflectance, slight mixing may have occurred between the two LULC classes.…”

“…Soil degradation takes place not only as a result of interaction between physico-chemical and biological factors comprising topography, soil properties and 76 N. Ahmad and P. Pandey: Assessment and monitoring of land degradation climatic features (Brevik et al, 2015;Taguas et al, 2015) but also includes human factors and land use management practices (Khaledian et al, 2017;Camprubi et al, 2015;Costa et al, 2015;Cerda et al, 2016). Inappropriate land use practices have been attributed as one of the major causes of land degradation by various researchers (Biro et al, 2013;De Souza et al, 2013;Pallavicini et al, 2015;Mohawesh et al, 2015). A major form of inadequate land use is the one leading to environmental land use conflicts that develop on soils used for activities not in compliance with the natural potential of the soil.…”

Effects of the European Union Agricultural and Environmental Policies in the Sustainability of Most Common Mediterranean Soils

“…Regarding soil pH, it is of great importance considering the trend to acidity of some Mediterranean soils, particularly in the study region [29,33] (constraining the production in these latitudes [29,30,33]). In this parameter, although a great evolution is not to be expected, we may have some interesting effects to analyze.…”

“…Among these functions, we emphasize as particularly important in the Mediterranean conditions the agglutinating effect of soil particles [32] given that a soil with a strong and adequate structure is certainly a soil that is more resistant to erosive phenomena [31] which represents one of the main threats to the sustainability of Mediterranean ecosystems [22]. Moreover, EU policies aiming to increase the sustainability of existing Eco-Agro-Systems promote also the analysis of several other soil parameters [20] considered of great important to guarantee the continuity of these fragile agricultural systems [33], as is the case of pH and the concentration of heavy metals [23,29].…”