Premium
Soil and organic carbon losses from varying land uses: a global meta‐analysis
Author(s) -
Abdalla Khatab,
Mutema Macdex,
Hill Trevor
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
geographical research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.695
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1745-5871
pISSN - 1745-5863
DOI - 10.1111/1745-5871.12389
Subject(s) - environmental science , erosion , vegetation (pathology) , soil carbon , ecosystem , land use , soil functions , land cover , vegetation cover , ecosystem services , key (lock) , agroforestry , cover crop , soil water , soil biodiversity , soil science , soil organic matter , ecology , geology , geomorphology , medicine , pathology , biology
Key insights The key main finding from the study was that soil surface cover by vegetation and organic materials has the potential to significantly decrease the impact of key drivers of soil erosion processes such as rainfall and slope. Natural vegetation cover appeared more effective in terms of controlling erosion processes and enhancing ecosystem functionality of soils. The results also suggest that abandoning degraded agricultural lands might not be a sound option because the erosion processes might accelerate beyond control during the bare phase. Instead, soil cover practices such as the use of straw, manure, and even rock fragments should be encouraged.