SOIL DEGRADATION IN PENINSULA VALDES: CAUSES, FACTORS, PROCESSES AND ASSESSMENT METHODS

PAULA D. BLANCO T; LEONARDO A. HARDTKE; CESAR M. ROSTAGNO; HECTOR F. DEL VALLE AND GABRIELA I. METTERNICH

Late Cenozoic of Penísnula Valdés: an interdiciplianry approach

Springer

Lugar: Cham; Año: 2017; p. 191 - 214

In semiarid rangelands where the anthropogenic impact is currentlyincreasing, as occurs in the rangelands of the Península Valdés, the detrimentalimpacts of soil degradation on land resources became really dramatic. This chapterpresents a review on the current knowledge of soil degradation in the PenínsulaValdés rangelands. Section 1 introduces the chapter, Sect. 2 focuses on soildegradation main processes, factors and causes, and Sect. 3 presents a review of soildegradation assessment methods and several soil degradation studies carried outsince 1990 in the Península Valdés region. Water and wind erosion are thedegradation processes that are most strongly evidenced. Major causes of soildegradation are attributed to a combination of climatic and anthropic factors, withovergrazing being perceived to be a major factor. Four key causes associated withovergrazing in the Península Valdés region rangelands are described: (1) Poor rangemanagement with respect to flock distribution and overstocking, (2) Limited accessto information, (3) Top-down and largely ineffective government policy, and(4) Overdependence on grazing systems for sustained livelihoods. Assessmentmethods for assessing soil degradation include: expert judgment, remote sensing,productivity changes, field monitoring, pilot studies at farm level based on fieldcriteria and expert opinion, and modeling.