Abstract
Soil erosion in Southeastern Nigeria is assuming an unusual dimension despite efforts by successive governments to control the phenomenon. Agronomic activities on eroding surfaces can give rise to landscapes much different from the original. Research activities in erosion quantification, the findings and how their applications have contributed to soil erosion management are highlighted. A key factor is the community efforts which have been relegated to a top-down approach occasioned by land use, land tenure and technological changes. The system is often a preventive management approach which achieves ecological and economic benefits. This chapter also discusses the indigenous methods of soil conservation and proposes their inclusions for sustainable management. To manage soil erosion in the region, emphasis must be placed on preventive management rather than crisis-management. Such approach will ensure that fewer resources are expended and land is appropriately conserved. To this end, soil can play its many environmental roles adequately.
Highlights
Methodologies for sustainable management of land degradation, economic growth and poverty reduction have become topical issues in present African research activities because of the danger posed by their neglect [1]
Idike [13] observed that most studies of soil erosion in Southeastern Nigeria had strong focus on gully incision and gully prone regions but less on the little noticed sheet erosion
Bio-markers such as tree ring characteristics have been used to estimate the rates of soil erosion from decennial to millennium time scales by applying dendrogeomorphology [37]
Summary
Methodologies for sustainable management of land degradation, economic growth and poverty reduction have become topical issues in present African research activities because of the danger posed by their neglect [1]. Land degradation especially the soil erosion aspect has been recognized as a serious threat to environmental sustainability. It impacts life on earth through degradation of land resources, loss of farmlands, decline in soil fertility due to top soil losses, contributes to climate change due to a compromise in soils C-sink potentials. As a result of the many implications of soil erosion on the environment, many efforts have been made to adequately understand the phenomenon so as to better manage it. Many of such efforts have failed due to little consideration of the several factors and their environmental peculiarities. Since soil erosion begins in the farmer’s field, scientific results could
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