Sustainable land management technologies: soil erosion control
Sustainable Land Management contribution to successful land-based climate change adaptation and mitigation: A report of the UNCCD Science-Policy Interface (SPI)
Definition
Soil erosion control is the prevention or control of wind or water erosion that leads to the detachment, transportation and re-deposition of soil particles and the loss of soil fertility. Soil erosion control can be used on different land use types, such as cropland and forest/woodland. There are many approaches to reducing soil erosion, and most fall into one of three measures: 1) structural measures, such as bunds and stone walls; 2) vegetative measures, such as windbreaks and live hedges, and 3) combined or integrated measures, such as river bank stabilization.
Benefits
According to the report on sustainable land management (SLM) by the UNCCD Science-Policy Interface (SPI), soil erosion control has a high potential to control on-site soil erosion and can provide co-benefits including improving yield/productivity and water availability and retention. In addition, vegetative measures that use perennial woody vegetation (shrubs and trees) or grasses could increase soil organic Carbon (SOC) and support carbon sequestration in woody biomass, and provide other co-benefits, such as increasing plant and terrestrial biodiversity.
Examples of SLM best practices in soil erosion control
Below are examples of best practices in soil erosion control cited in the report on SLM by the SPI.
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