The system of assessment of soil degradation

Abstract

The measurement and ecological assessment of soil quality or conversely soil degradation, is important in Russia. Thus, based on the analysis of current standards and scientific studies, we developed a set of representative soil quality (soil degradation) indicators to assess the physical, chemical, and biological degradation of soil for various anthropogenic uses of the land. We have provided a matrix of indicators for each of the three processes of degradation. The indicators are grouped into five stages of degradation: high quality (non-degraded), weakly degraded, moderately degraded, highly degraded, and very highly degraded. We have proposed a rate index as a final estimate of soil degradation. We provide examples of how to calculate the soil quality index (soil degradation) and how to interpret the index. Finally we suggest methods for displaying soil quality using soil survey maps and remote sensing procedures.