Question

Describe what soil degradation is and why it's a concern for us?

Answer 1

Soil degradation is a change to the soil that has deleterious effects and it is important because soil health is crucial for agricultural yield, native ecosystems, preventing natural disasters, etc.

Explanation:

Soil degradation is a change to the soil that has deleterious effects.

Soil degradation may be caused by increased salinity, contamination from pollutants, wind erosion, decline in fertility, and so forth.

Soil health is crucial for agricultural yield, native ecosystems, preventing natural disasters, etc. Degraded soil may decrease the amount of crops that we can grow or their quality. Soil erosion can negatively impact water quality. Healthy soils support vegetation that may buffer against strong winds from hurricanes, rising flood waters, and other natural disasters and their effects. Degradation can lead to desertification.

Soil degradation is a widespread problem. The map below shows the extent of social degradation globally:

You can read more about soil degradation here and here.