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Soil degradation

A joint FAO, UNEP and UNESCO study (FAO 1979) defined soil degradation as a process which lowers the current and/or the potential capability of the soil to produce (quantitatively and/or qualitatively) goods or services. The same study recognised six categories of soil degradation processes:

Water erosion [Text 5.1.1.1]

Wind erosion [Text 5.1.1.2]

Waterlogging and excess of salts [Text 5.1.1.3]

Chemical degradation [Text 5.1.1.4]

Physical degradation [Text 5.1.1.5]

Biological degradation [Text 5.1.1.6]

The deterioration in the chemical, physical and biological properties of the soil can be discussed as above. However, their combined effects can be considered under the heading of:

Soil fertility decline (FAO 1994a) [Text 5.1.1.7] .

A more recent study to assess the status of human induced erosion in South and Southeast Asia (van Lynden 1995) has sought to categorise the types of soil degradation in more detail, recognising some 21 types see [List 5.1.1.1].