Soil Erosion
1.
Q: What causes soil to be removed naturally?
A: The soil is naturally removed by the action of water or wind.
2. Q: What kind of actions of man have caused accelerated soil erosion?
A: Actions such as overgrazing or unsuitable cultivation practices causes
accelerated soil erosion.
3. Q: Name four kinds of soil degradation.
A: The four types of soil degradation are salinisation, nutrient loss, soil
erosion and compaction.
4. Q: What is rainsplash erosion?
A: Rainsplash erosion is when the rain moves the soil directly.
5. Q: What is rill and gully erosion?
A: Rill and gully erosion is when the rain moves the soil indirectly by going
through the rills and gullies..
Q: What is water erosion’s main on-site effect?
A: Water erosion’s main on site effect is the reduction of soil quality
which outcomes from the loss of the nutrient-rich upper layers of the
soil, and the reduced water-holding capacity of many eroded soils.
6. Q: What is water erosion’s main off- site effect?
A: Water erosion’s main off site effect is the movement of sediment and
agricultural pollutants into watercourses. This can lead to the silting-up
of dams, disruption of the ecosystems of lakes, and contamination of
drinking water.
7. Q: List two ways you can reduce erosion.
A: Support organic farming by purchasing organic foods and encourage
your local retailer to stock organic produce.
8. Q: What can farmers do?
A: If you are a farmer, you can conserve your soil resources by using
conservation tillage techniques to reduce soil disturbance and compaction
and by reducing stocking rates to limit soil compaction.
Q: Use the information from the pie graph to complete the following
table:
Human activity causing soil
degradation
Deforestation
Overgrazing
Fuel wood Gathering
Agriculture
Industry
9. Q: What is Landcare?
Percentage ( % )
30%
35%
7%
28%
1%
A: Landcare is an Australian partnership that includes local volounteers
to save and care for our environment.
10. Q: List six things that Landcare is doing to care for the Australian
environment.
A: 1) Improving our farmlands 2) Breathing new life into waterways 3)
Around the coast 4) Bringing back trees 5) Restoring wildlife habitat 6)
Urban action – protecting our urban environment
Case Study:Bega Cheese
The project is called Bega Cheese and it is held in Bega. The sponsor for this
great cause was Woolworths Sustainable Farming Grant. The aim of this project
is to demonstrate effective feed resource management in times of drought to
improve sustainability and reduce environmental impacts.
Due to highly variable climatic conditions affecting the dairy business in the
Bega Valley, the pressure from feeding out to stock during drought conditions
or severe rainy occasions has ruined the grasslands and soils and also impacted
on animal health.
‘Feedpads’ were designed to prove a more effective way of feed management.
Two sites on the far south coast NSW region were selected to demonstrate
this experiment. After this project, it increased the knowledge and
understanding of this concept. Now knowing the impact of the ‘feedpads’, the
farmers are now trying to adapt to this concept.