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Main Issues for Preserving Mediterranean Soil Resources From Water Erosion Under Global Change
Author(s) -
Raclot Damien,
Le Bissonnais Yves,
Annabi Mohamed,
Sabir Mohamed,
Smetanova Anna
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
land degradation and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.403
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1099-145X
pISSN - 1085-3278
DOI - 10.1002/ldr.2774
Subject(s) - mediterranean climate , erosion , soil conservation , soil retrogression and degradation , environmental science , vulnerability (computing) , land degradation , threatened species , dryland salinity , water resources , hydrology (agriculture) , water resource management , land use , soil biodiversity , environmental resource management , soil fertility , geography , agriculture , soil science , geology , soil water , ecology , computer science , civil engineering , geomorphology , engineering , archaeology , biology , geotechnical engineering , computer security , habitat
Soil resources are important for the socioeconomic development of the Mediterranean area. Their durability may be threatened because of intense erosion processes that result in severe degradation in the field (on‐site effects) and downstream degradation (off‐site effects). Based on the literature and results obtained during several research projects, this paper presents the main lessons and challenges dealing with Mediterranean soil resources under global change. After a review of the main drivers of Mediterranean soil erosion and the main impacts of water erosion processes, the paper highlights that the nature and intensity of active erosion processes are as diverse as the mosaic of the Mediterranean landscape. It then discusses the expected evolution of Mediterranean soil resources under global change and illustrates the prevalent influences of land use (partly depending on climatic constraints) on the evolution of erosion risk and soil vulnerability. Finally, it details some main challenges for the future of Mediterranean soil resources dealing with a better knowledge of factors and processes involved in soil erosion, a better evaluation of soil vulnerability through a combined quantitative and qualitative soil erosion approach, and the need for a site‐specific conservation strategy for Mediterranean soil resources. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.