The total costs of soil degradation in England and Wales

Soil “Ecosystem” Services and Natural Capital: Critical Appraisal of Research on Uncertain Ground

“…In principle, as noted by Pimentel et al (1995), the total productivity loss should include off-site costs, such as those resulting from the progressive accumulation of sediments in streams, artificial lakes, and eventually in river effluents, all of which can cause significant problems for navigation, infrastructures, and the ecology of the associated ecosystems. However, rare are the articles that include these off-site costs (Adhikari and Nadella, 2011;Telles et al, 2013;Graves et al, 2015). Regardless, as with the replacement method, application of the production method to soil erosion costs reveals very little about the contribution of the different soil services to the total monetary value that is obtained.…”

Cost of agricultural productivity loss due to soil erosion in the European Union: From direct cost evaluation approaches to the use of macroeconomic models

“…Soil erosion is the biggest threat to soil fertility and productivity, as it removes organic matter and important nutrients and prevents vegetation growth, which negatively affects overall biodiversity (Scherr, ). In particular, soil erosion changes the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of soil, which leads to a drop in potential agricultural productivity and gives rise to concerns about food security, especially in the context of a growing world population (Food and Agriculture Organization [FAO], ; Graves et al, ; Pimentel, ).…”

The Impact of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry on the Biophysical Characteristics of Soils in Neotropical Agroecosystems

“…Imeson [61] defines it as a deterioration of the resource, which causes a reduction of its biological potential and its productive capacity, encompassing many processes (natural and anthropic) and affecting both physical, chemical and biological properties. Soil degradation processes are usually triggered by some anthropogenic activity, as natural soil losses (geological rates) and their recovery by edaphogenesis tend to be in equilibrium in natural environments [62]. Cattle ranching in neotropical areas of Latin America have been characterized by the presence of an extensive monoculture of grass (e.g., Brachiaria brizantha [52]), not always well-adapted to local conditions and with frequent burns leading to serious problems of land degradation (soil and pastures) [53].…”

“…Imeson [61] defines it as a deterioration of the resource, which causes a reduction of its biological potential and its productive capacity, encompassing many processes (natural and anthropic) and affecting both physical, chemical and biological properties. Soil degradation processes are usually triggered by some anthropogenic activity, as natural soil losses (geological rates) and their recovery by edaphogenesis tend to be in equilibrium in natural environments [62].…”