Why is preventing soil erosion crucial?

Soil erosion quietly erodes our most precious resource. You are losing the fertile land that feeds your family and community. Water is being poisoned with eroded soil. Flooding in vulnerable areas remains a recurrent menace. Erosion refuses to cover itself.I have seen entire farms abandoned due to the loss of topsoil.

So a multitude may perish in a way that is secured by the disappearance of topsoil, the thin outer layer of fertility, with whose building Nature takes ages and sages. Erosion wears them out faster than they can be replaced, and crops grown on degraded land yield 20 to 50 percent lower. You pay the difference in your grocery bill. I have looked into the eyes of men who see the fields that feed them turning to dust.

Sediment poisons water sources. Rainfall sweeps soil-bound chemicals into reservoirs, poisoning fish and drinking water sources. I've tested wells with readily dangerous levels of nitrate. Society depends on water; let's protect it.

Flood risks rise without vegetative buffers. Roots sponge up rainwater. Bare dirt speeds up the flow's velocity. Houses downstream are hit hard. I've seen flood damage double in eroded watersheds. Your property is much safer with the soil protected.

The economy loses billions of dollars every year due to degraded land requiring costly restoration, local governments spending money on flooding repairs, and climbing food prices as less food is grown. I have estimated these costs over large regions. It all sits on the taxpayers to pay back "Preventable Damage Control."

Soil depletion causes topsoil depletion, and the microorganisms that are so important for the health of soil die. Habitat loss affects birds and insects, leading to a decline in biodiversity. I have seen firsthand how local species have disappeared from areas that have been eroded. Healthy soil is crucial for the survival of an ecosystem and all the organisms that inhabit it.

Read the full article: 10 Proven Ways to Prevent Soil Erosion