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Aug 19, 2022 · A healthy soil has a continuous network of pores and channels capable of storing and transporting air and water. Lining this network are mineral and organic aggregates. Maintaining the soil’s structure is vital, not only for bolstering its resistance to erosion, but for enhancing how much water can infiltrate it.
Jun 11, 2020 · Forests protect priceless arable land from extreme weather events, prevent soil erosion, bind soil together to prevent flash floods, provide natural water filtration systems and even, in snowy areas far from east Africa, shield human settlements from avalanches.
Aug 13, 2019 · Soil respiration indicates the soil’s ability to sustain plant growth. And typically, respiration declines with decreasing soil moisture to a point where microbial activity effectively stops. While this reduces the CO2 the microbes release, it also inhibits plant growth, which means the vegetation is taking up less CO2 from the atmosphere ...
Apr 23, 2024 · Driving up the economic value of sustainable working forests is a proven way to prevent the conversion of forests to alternative forms of land use. Research has also found that forests managed for sustained timber production can be more resistant to deforestation, from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Guatemala.
Feb 6, 2023 · Minerals and microbes within soil play a vital role in cleaning water and filtering out pollutants. Soil helps to regulate the movement of water and helps prevent flooding by controlling whether rainfall and irrigation water flows over or through it. The organisms within soil can kill harmful bacteria and be used in medicine.
Aug 12, 2021 · The roots "build up the muddy bottom" near the base of the trees, which actually stabilizes the coastline by reducing erosion from storm surges, currents, waves and tides, the government body noted. In fact, protecting mangroves can prevent an estimated $50 billion in annual damages to the U.S. economy from hurricanes, tropical storms, winds, and flooding.
Mar 7, 2023 · Rajendra has also started burying diffusers connected to existing drip lines in his pomegranate garden to adapt to droughts. The diffusers help optimise water usage during dry spells by moistening the soil around the roots. "We must change our ways and shift to natural farming methods to adapt to impending climatic changes," he says.
Feb 17, 2021 · Its ability to bring depleted soil back to life could enable farmers to grow other crops, such as soy. But soy is responsible for significant deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. An area roughly the size of California was lost to deforestation around the world between 2004 and 2017, says the WWF.
Jun 23, 2022 · The theme of this year's World Soil Day, on December 5, is 'Soils: Where food begins'. Soil mismanagement threatens the survival of many species on Earth, including humans, according to a United Nations body. But restoring degraded farmland has the potential to ease food shortages. Healthy soil is also critical to tackling global warming.
Land degradation also leads to increases in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—soil erosion releases 0.8–1.2 gigatons of carbon into the atmosphere each year. Yet, agriculture does not have to degrade soils. Good agriculture should restore nutrients, conserve water and prevent soil erosion.
