My guess is " the former deal with only the state of surface of the soil but the later deal with the process that degrade the physical , chemical and biological properties of a given soil"
Hi Louadj,
Land degradation is the temporary or permanent lowering of the productive capacity of land (UNEP, 1992). It thus covers various forms of soil degradation, adverse human impacts on water resources, deforestation, and lowering of the productive capacity of rangelands. Several FAO publications define that soil degradation "includes soil erosion by water and wind, deterioration in soil physical, chemical and biological properties, waterlogging, and the build-up of toxicities, particularly salts, in the soil."
I hope this was helpful,
Claudia
I do not think , there is any logical difference between land degradation and soil degradation , since the driving forces for both the processes and their ramification changes in physical ,chemical and biological properties , happen to be the same .
In a land you might not be able to find soil for growing crops, but soil is the product of many processes having distinct property. So, degradation will be different.
Land comprises the physical environment, including climate, relief, soils, hydrology and vegetation, to the extent that these influence potential for land use. Land is thus a wider concept than soil or terrain. Variation in soils, or soils and landforms, is often the main cause of differences between land mapping units within a local area: it is for this reason that soil surveys are sometimes the main basis for definition of land mapping units. However, the fitness of soils for land use cannot be assessed in isolation from other aspects of the environment, and hence it is land which is employed as the basis for suitability evaluation.And , often , the terms like Land Capability and Soil Suitability are interchngeably used. This is the reason , land degradation has profound cascading effect on soil degradation , however , latter is less popularly known.
Dear Louadj Yacine,
As mentioned before, in our previous conversation, I think that you can find valid answers in the enclosed paper. It is a comprehensive, up-to-date study on the matter. I recall that I have already send it to you, but I take the opportunity to suggest it again, also for possible review on behalf of the colleagues who answered here.
Best regards,
Gabriela Afrasinei
Dear Louadj Yacine,
I agree with : " Land degradation is just.. degrading the land in some form; something that happens to the land that's considered undesirable. Soil erosion can be one of them. Others include soil acidification and soil salination".
Best
Faiza
Thank Dear Researcher for your clear answer, and Gabriela , my question about land degradation Vs Soil degradation has spring , when i give you a feedback on your paper which i found very interesting in that respect, but i wanted to know , what other researcher think about the disctinction between land and soil degradation.
I like the answer of Dr Srivastava which encompasses both concept in a clearer way.
Kind regards Louadj yacine
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