Land degradation from soil erosion has been considered by many to be a problem of significant proportion, affecting some 30-50% of the earth's land surface. At the time of the first publication of this book in 1993, estimates indicated that 10-15 million hectares of land were being lost each year through erosion and salinisation from irrigation and that at such a rate of loss, topsoil reserves on most sloping lands would be depleted within two hundred years. Since humankind's dependency on the land for food is almost total, soil erosion represents a real threat to the security of our food supply. The need for the immediate conservation of the world's soil resources is therefore clear. As part of the response to this need, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Commission on Ecology convened a special working group to consider the problem of world soil erosion and to propose practical solutions for soil conservation. This important book presents the outcome of their work.

Stressing the significance of vegetation in geomorphology, an often ignored area, it presents the results of the 1988 British Geomorphological Research Group conference, which brought together work in progress or recently completed on plant processes and geomorphological interactions. According to the editor, these results, while encouraging, are only a start, indicating a preponderance of past work dealing with vegetation simply as an extrinsic variable. The text focuses on vegetation as a highly dynamic and vital component that affects virtually all processes and therefore all geomorphological histories. By raising these and other issues, it indicates a variety of avenues for future investigation.

This three volume set presents a multidisciplinary examination of the global life support systems on which we depend by providing a selection of articles on sustainable development issues written by international experts. Volume 1 focuses on the earth and atmospheric sciences, mathematical, biological and medical sciences, social sciences and humanities, physical sciences, engineering and technology resources. Volume 2 covers chemical sciences, energy science and water engineering, as well as the main issues related to environmental sciences and ecological resources. Volume 3 offers a comprehensive view of food and agricultural engineering resources, the management of human and natural resources, economic and institutional resources, information technology and systems management, as well as a regional overview of sustainable development issues. Each article includes a bibliography, a glossary and a guide to further information available as part of the on-line Encyclopedia version (http://www.eolss.net).

The most complete, nonpartisan source of information on this hot agronomic topic available today, this book brings together a diverse group of papers and data to resolve the debate between sedimentologists and soil scientists and agronomists over whether the effects of soil erosion on carbon and atmospheric CO2 is beneficial or destructive. Divided into four sections, it offers data on how soil erosion affects soil, water, and air quality. Topics include mineralization rate, inundation, sediment deposition, and global warming potential, as well as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide emissions, and the implications of soil erosion on the global carbon cycle and carbon budget.

An introduction to runoff agriculture - a form of agricultural irrigation - this text describes how the use of surface and subsurface water, often overlooked and wasted, enables both small farmers and commercial agriculturists to improve yields and the security of harvest, even in harsh and remote environments. The text introduces the techniques and strategies, as well as the challenges and the potential of the crucial approach, which can contribute so much to reducing land degradation and improving conservation and sustainability.