Land Degradation: Creation and DestructionThis up-to-date, second edition of Land Degradation explores substantial decreases in the land's biological productivity or usefulness to humans due to human activities. Case studies_including tourist impacts in Europe, the environmental footprints of urban areas, wetland drainage for agriculture in the American Midwest, run-on farming in the Negev, land degradation in the Amazon Basin, and irrigation in Egypt_cover the history of land degradation, identify the level of human responsibility in transforming natural landscapes into sustainable agro-ecosystems, look at local and regional effects of human interactions with the environment, and reveal both negative and positive aspects of land modification. Extensively illustrated, Land Degradation can be used as the primary text in a course of the same name or as a supplement in courses covering land use, environmental change, and sustainability. |
Contents
Land Use and Degradation in Historical Perspective | 25 |
The Physical Domain and Land Degradation | 53 |
Human Causes of Land Degradation | 77 |
Copyright | |
7 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Land Degradation: Creation and Destruction Douglas L. Johnson,Laurence A. Lewis Limited preview - 2007 |
Land Degradation: Creation and Destruction Douglas L. Johnson,Laurence A. Lewis No preview available - 2006 |
Common terms and phrases
agroecology altered animals area's basin biomass changes climatic coastal common property construction costs created creative destruction critical zones crops cultivation decline decrease degra delta deposition desertification destructive creation drainage ecological economic ecosystems environment environmental example exist exploitation factors farmers farming fertility fields Figure fish flood floodplain flows forest grass grazing groundcover groundwater growth habitat herders herds humid impacts Imperial Valley increased Lake Nasser land degradation landscape limited livestock long-term major materials Mesopotamia minimal mining moisture Nabataean natural needs Negev Nile nomadic nutrient occur pasture percent period plant polders pollution pond population potential precipitation problems production protect rainfall rangeland reduced region result river runoff sacrifice zones salinization Salton Sea season sediments shifting cultivation slopes soil erosion soil loss species strategies surface sustainable terrace tion traditional trees Valley variability vegetation wastes wetlands Zuider Zee