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Book (stand-alone)Soil loss atlas of Malawi 2019
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No results found.With over three-quarters of the country’s soils at risk, soil loss in Malawi represents a major threat to food security and nutrition, agricultural growth, the provision of ecosystem services and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Since the Malawian economy is highly dependent on agriculture, soil loss is a significant hindrance to the overall economic development of the country. The Soil Loss Atlas of Malawi is part of an effort of the Government of Malawi (GoM) and its development partners to determine the major contributing factors to soil loss in Malawi and the most effective approaches to control it. This publication addresses the urgent need for updated data and information on soil loss rates in Malawi, which have not been reviewed since 1992. Furthermore, since soil loss is one of the monitoring indicators in the Agricultural Sector Wide Approach Program (ASWAp) adopted by the GoM and its development partners, there is also a need to develop a baseline soil loss rate to help with program indicator monitoring. Soil erosion is a natural or human-driven process where the top layers of soil are removed from their original location. In the context of agriculture, soil loss occurs when natural soil erosion is accelerated so that the soil is blown or washed away by agents such as water, wind and tillage. Soil loss is fuelled by agents of erosion (such as wind, runoff, gravity, etc.) and further influenced by factors such as unsustainable soil management, land use/cover management, topography, and soil type. Some of these factors are often (in)directly modified by human activities in ways that can increase or slow down the rate of soil loss process. The Soil Loss Atlas of Malawi builds a comprehensive picture of soils in the country by examining different types of soil loss and their drivers across the 27 districts of Malawi. The publication captures information on soil types, land cover and land use types, topography, mean annual rainfall, soil loss rates and soil nutrient loss rates. All of this data is mapped by district through photographic evidence, graphs and maps which effectively illustrate the scale and range of soil loss across the country. The Atlas also provides an overview of the topsoil loss trends between 2000 and 2014. The overall approach used for the development of this Atlas was the combination of modelling using the Soil Loss Estimation Model for Southern Africa (SLEMSA) model and validation by field measurements. The model provides a dynamic approach for estimating national topsoil loss using secondary data, development of a footprint history of topsoil loss rates in the past ten years, identification of potential drivers of soil loss in the country and capacity development of local staff to implement future soil loss assessment activities. The Soil Loss Atlas of Malawi is a useful resource for a variety of stakeholders including researchers, scientists, decision-makers, land managers, students and the general public. The publication provides a baseline for future monitoring of soil loss rates and trends in the country. It delivers key data and evidence which can inform targeted decision-making to tackle the issue of soil loss in Malawi. -
ArticleShort-term effects of forest fire on soil erosion in Korea: Case study of 2020 Andong forestfire
XV World Forestry Congress, 2-6 May 2022
2022Also available in:
No results found.Forest fire can devastate forest landscape. After the fire excessive runoff and soil erosion might occur, thus turning once fully functional forestland into degraded forest without topsoil and nutrients. It is important understand how soil erosion changes and burned area recovers with time. This study accessed the short-term effects of forest fire on soil erosion by monitoring sediment yields during wet summer season after a fire, using a total of twelve 5m x 10m silt fences from canopy fire, ground fire, and control areas (no fire) in Andong where 2020 hectares of forestland were burned in April of 2020. All silt fences were located at east-facing hillslopes with 45–55% steepness and conifers. The soil texture of canopy and ground fire areas was sandy loam, and control area was loam. The four sediment observations were made during the monitoring: An average of 158.0 kg ha-1 from canopy fire area, 0 kg ha-1 from ground fire area and 0 kg ha-1 from control area with accumulated rainfall of 53.0 mm (on 7/4); 1,077.5, 28.4, and 8.3 kg ha-1 with 174.5 mm (7/17); 1800.0, 116.7, and 3.2 kg ha-1 with 275.5 mm (8/4–5); 2340.0, 22.0, and 27.5 kg ha-1 with 226.5 mm (8/25); 580.0, 1.9, and 0.7 kg ha-1 with 156.8 mm (9/14&16); and 12.3, 2.3, and 0.5 kg ha-1 with 3.1 mm (10/5–6). The results indicated extremely high soil erosion occurred from canopy fire area and minimal erosion occurred from ground fire and control areas where no significant difference was found. Conifers defoliated due to stress from ground fire and fallen needles provided ground cover, thus preventing soil erosion. The ground covers measured from canopy fire, ground fire and control areas were 27.5%, 82.4% and 99.7% on 7/3 and 59.9%, 85.5% and 99.1% on 10/5, showing a large difference between canopy and ground fire areas with conifers. This study showed the importance of ground cover to mitigate post-fire erosion, and erosion control measures, such as mulching, should be considered to increase ground cover. Keywords: forest fire; ground cover; postfire soil erosion; sediment; silt fence ID: 3486822 -
Brochure, flyer, fact-sheetThe multi-faced role of soil in the Near East and North Africa | Policy brief, Soil salinity 2019Salinization is the most severe threat to soils in the NENA region after soil erosion. Indeed, more than 11 percent of the region’s soils are affected by various levels of soil salinization Salinity has direct effects on the growth and development of plants. Sodic conditions may cause important deterioration of the soil physical properties, indirectly affecting crop growth via increased surface crusting, poor water infiltration, and reduced root zone aeration. The Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (VGSSM) provide recommendations on how to prevent the development of salt-affected soils. If soils are already degraded and prevention is no longer an option, excess salts can be removed from the soil surface and the root zone using a variety of techniques. Under all conditions, the sustainable management of soil resources is key in preventing and combating salinization.
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